Succumbing to the varlet
by ImpetuousAllure
Summary: Rey was finally fed up with Kylo invading her every thoughts, and was about to confront him about it. Will she be able to keep herself focused on the task at hand or will she fail miserably? [AU]
1. chapter 1

It had been the final straw for Rey. She couldn't take it anymore. That imbecile of a man had crossed the line last night, and now here she was on her way towards a planet far from the resistance in order to handle this situation for the final time.

 _Here I am. Now come and get me._ You damn prick. She added last minute, but managed to keep that part to herself.

 _So, the scavenger has finally decided to admit to defeat_. He retorted rather smugly.

Her hazel optics rolled skywards as she couldn't hold back a scoff. _Sure. If that's what you have to think in order to get your ass here faster._

Rey shut down the link of their bond between them momentarily before she got even more annoyed with him, and instead went about going through the process with finding a perfect spot to land.

Rey had landed almost effortlessly and was now exiting her ship. Her gaze traveled along the relatively deserted part of the planet she chose to land on until she saw what looked like a forest up ahead.

She made her way through the trees until finding an opening that seemed perfect for her to be able to meditate in peace whilst she tried to calm herself as much as possible so she could wait for the one whom she did not want to name aloud to show up and scold the crap out of.

It bothered her that he could easily rile her up. She had never been like this before until that rather ludicrous bond of theirs had formed out of nowhere.

At first she wasn't able to sense him as much, but as time went on he became more persistent with his probing, which she tried to ignore but once it got to a point where she was losing too much sleep and failing with her training she had no choice but to confide in Luke about her current predicament. He tried his best to help her learn to control her thoughts from Kylo, but unbeknownst to them at the time the bond sometimes acted on its own accord.

Rey had learned the hard way that when she allowed her senses to shut down for the night to sleep that the bond would sometimes take advantage and make her unconsciously reach out for her bond-mate. And in doing so they would sometimes end up together in a dream realm, and let's just say that neither of them had much enjoyed sharing such private matters during their various dreams that sometimes came with memories they had to share with one another.

That was until one night that Rey called out to him in her sleep when she had been having one of her usual nightmares. That particular setting took place on Jakku where on one night a man had tried to come into her home to both rob her of the little she owned and take advantage of her.

It was that incident that had made Rey learn to defend herself. But of course as she relived that moment in her sleep her dream self was defenseless as she tried to fend off the man, and if that dream didn't terrify her enough, what made it worse was when her sworn nemesis barged into her home in his usual attire minus his helmet and dispatched of her attacker.

Rey would always remember the look on his face when Kylo witnessed what the attacker was about to do to her before he killed him right in front of her. That initial part didn't scare her though. It was what happened afterwards that did. He had crouched down in front of her, taking her face between his gloved hands as his ebony hues skimmed along her features as if examining if she was alright before he wordlessly brought her into a gentle embrace. He went on to hold her as she wept miserably against his chest, and what scared her was the desire to allow her now bond-mate to both comfort and protect her as she willingly stayed in his embrace until the dream had faded away and she was left feeling an ache deep within her chest with the loss of him when she had awoken alone in her room.

That moment had changed everything. It allowed their once fragile bond to grow into what she could only explain as a rope that now held them together in its iron grip. After that she couldn't keep him out of her head.

She couldn't lie that she didn't seek out for him occasionally because she did. And when she allowed herself to do so she was surprised at all of feelings that flowed from him to her too easily. She didn't think he was capable of having certain feelings, but of course he always proved her wrong.

Throughout the months their bond had played them both into speaking to one another. It was mostly them bantering back and forth, but later it turned into some rather emotional chats when one of them would feel their bond-mate distressed. Sometimes Rey would allow their bond to be open just for the sake of letting her know when he was in a gloomy state. She would always try to convince both of them that the only reason she paid any attention and tried to brighten his mood up was so that way she wouldn't be upset as well, and she hoped he bought it.

Rey shook her head suddenly to rid herself from her inner thoughts as she sat down on the ground and begun the process of meditating. She was aware of time passing by, which left her sulking with the thought of him blowing her off, but instead of allowing herself to grovel over that possibility she decided to rest against an area that had a nice patch of grass.

She had just laid down onto her back, telling herself that she was merely going to rest her eyes and keep her senses on high alert, but what she didn't expect was for the lack of sleep to catch up on her, which made her unwillingly fall into a deep sleep.

~~

An irritable sound escaped her lips when she felt something nudge her side before she opened her eyes warily when she heard the sound of laughter coming from beside her, making her bolt upright to her feet as she blinked multiple times as she tried to fully wake up. And to say she was disappointed in herself was an understatement. She couldn't believe she had actually fell asleep when she was supposed to be fully alert since of course he couldn't be trusted. What made it worse was that he had caught her in the act too, making anger flare up within her.

"I would say that I didn't want to wake you up, but I do have things to attend to." Kylo mused aloud whilst a mischievous smirk curved his lips in response to provoking her on furthermore. He was also glad that his helmet was veiling his face from her.

An exasperated sound emitted from her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest, refraining from rolling her eyes. "Well if a certain someone wasn't late then I wouldn't have dozed off."

Kylo clenched his hands into fists at his sides out of irritation. "The blame for that should be on you since you orchestrated this meeting last minute, and didn't assume that others besides yourself would have been busy. You have know idea what I had to go through just to get here."

Now this time Rey did roll her eyes and was practically seething by this point when he was insinuating that this meeting was by choice. "Don't even try to blame this shit on me. I wouldn't even have asked you to meet me here if you hadn't been bugging me for months on end. Oh, and don't forget the little incident last night that was the tipping point that had me even coming out here to confront you." She replied haughtily.

He was glad that he hadn't removed his mask because his face had flushed a shade of scarlet when she mentioned what had happened last night. It wasn't his fault that she had finally loosened her hold on their bond, and he had the chance to prod into her mind. And let's just say he had witnessed a particular private movement of hers. He shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts before he unclenched his hands and inclined his head to the side before speaking through gritted teeth. "Are you going to get to the point of this meeting any time soon? As I stated earlier I was rather busy."

Hazel optics narrowed into slits when she heard he was getting as agitated as she was. "I want you to stop trying to pry into my mind all the time! It doesn't help me when I'm trying to focus on my duties and I have to focus even harder when you're constantly trying to see into my mind. And it especially bothers me when it almost happens at very inappropriate times. How would you like it if I started to do what you're doing to me?" It wasn't until she had finished letting out all of her frustrations to him that she noticed that she had managed to close the distance between them and even had prodded his chest with her index finger, making her blink in surprise before she fought back the urge to blush in response to her behavior.

Kylo's brows arched up in an amused way when he witnessed this little spitfire almost having a full on tantrum in front of him. It wasn't until she had walked over to him and poked his chest did he stiffen ever so slightly. This was the first time that he had been so close to her when they weren't in battle. With a subtle sigh he reached up to remove his helmet, and made sure to keep a blank expression as to not allow her to see how much her presence affected him. "It's quite hard to not look into your mind when you project things so loudly. As for the incident you referred to… Well let's just say I wasn't the least bit disappointed." A lewd smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he waited for her reaction.

He did not just say that! Before she could fully process what she was doing she had already drew her arm back then brought it forward with such force so her hand could make contact with his smug face. "You fucking creep!"

Kylo was beyond shocked when she had slapped him, but the pain from it was put aside as a feral growl emitted from deep within his chest before he grabbed hold of her, spinning her around to press her against a tree. "For a Jedi in training you sure have a filthy mouth, and are filled with such hate. You really do need a better teacher."

Rey inhaled sharply when her back was suddenly pressed against the hard surface of a tree before a look of hatred flashed across her features. "Piss off! I doubt a sociopath like yourself is capable of teaching anyone."

He nearly growled once again as he pressed himself against her furthermore to not allow her the chance to escape. "Be careful about insulting the person who can easily overpower you and take you back to the First Order. Then you would have no choice, but surrender and allow me to teach you the proper ways of the force."

She couldn't help but snort in response to his threat before a smirk played at her lips. "Go ahead and take me. I'm more than sure that the idiotic brain of yours isn't capable of teaching me anything that I don't already know." Rey retorted in a saucy manner.

Kylo was beyond angered in this moment, and her attitude wasn't helping the situation. He even knew he was messed up if this small argument between them was getting him all hot and bothered. Upon that mere revelation a sly smirk settled onto his lips. "Is that so? Well, I guess a little lesson right now wouldn't hurt then."

She blinked in confusion when she tried to comprehend what he was getting at and just before it finally clicked it was too late to do anything. She watched in horror as he leaned down and his lips pressed against hers, making her attempt to wriggle out from his hold. When it become useless she resisted the urge to sigh as she did the unthinkable. She responded to his kiss, noticing that he froze for just brief moment for her to gain his trust for just a split second before she bit his lower lip harsh enough to draw blood. She heard him hiss before he backed away from her whilst she licked away the blood that managed to coat her mouth.

Kylo's darkened gaze shot daggers at her before his gaze flicked in the direction of her tongue gliding along her lower lip, making his form waver slightly at the mere captivating moment.

Rey's breathing faltered when she saw a look of what she thought was lust past along his features, making her tremble as his gaze was intently on her now. She inwardly cursed when her traitorous body was responding to the sensations that were traveling from their bond. She knew she shouldn't act on these impulses but she would have to scold herself later. And with that last thought she closed the distance between them once again and pounced on him.

Kylo was beyond baffled when he felt the thrum of their bond come to life, allowing him to sense what Rey was feeling at the moment. His nostrils flared when it was very clear that she was now the slightest bit aroused, causing him to quirk a brow, and before he could even muster up something to tell her to fill the silence she had flung herself onto him. He huffed as his hands went to grasp her thighs, keeping them wrapped around his waist whilst their lips sought out for one another's.

Rey withheld a whimper of pleasure when she felt his fingers dig into the flesh of her thighs as she returned his fervid kiss whilst her fingers threaded through his sepia shaded locks. She secretly had been wanting to do that for quite some time, and she was hoping that he wasn't sensing that at the moment.

Kylo nipped her lower lip before he trailed his tongue against it to beg for entrance whilst he carefully started to make his way to where his ship was. He would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that this particular scenario was a little fantasy of his, but it still surprised him that she was the one that was really initiating this little moment of passion between them.

Rey choked back a moan when she felt him bite her lip before she parted her mouth to allow his tongue to enter the confines of her mouth. She broke the kiss a few moments later, trying to catch her breath and it was then when she opened her eyes that she noticed that they were a few feet away from his ship, making her freeze in his hold. "What are you doing?" She squeaked.

He paused mid-step to look at her as he tried unsuccessfully to hide a smirk. "Well I was under the impression that you wanted to have your way with me, and figured you wanted a clean surface to do so… Unless the scavenger in you wants to continue right here on this soil?"

Rey nearly gaped at him when she heard his every word, feeling at a loss for words as she willed herself not to flush under his suggestive stare. "Whoa. No one said anything about taking advantage of you." She tried to say in an irritable manner before she tried to wriggle out from his hold to stand back on her own two feet. There was no way that she was going to admit that he was right that she wanted him badly. Stupid hormones.

Kylo tsked at her when he felt her try to break out of his hold, causing him to tighten his grip just a little more before his smirk grew. "You're actually going to try to act all innocent? It's too late to deny that you want me as badly as I want you. You practically screamed it through our bond."

"I did not!" She huffed as she tried again to break out of his hold, and just when she thought she found a way she was stopped mid-motion when he angled himself to press his now hardened member against her, causing her to gasp. She tried to shift away, but ended up making him brush against her most sensitive area. Oh for fucks sake. She nearly screamed inwardly as all she wanted to do was to get out of his hold and squeeze her thighs shut to attempt to squash the ache between her legs that wanted to be relieved. She narrowed her eyes into slits as she set her jaw in a stubborn stance, refusing to let him think that he had gotten the best of her. "I hate you." She retorted bitterly.

He nearly sucked in a breath when her movement caused him to rub against where he wanted to gladly bury himself within her. His eyes shone with a lustful glint to them before he heard what she had said, making him chuckle and proceed to lean forward to place a kiss against the tip of her nose. "The feeling is mutual."

Rey scrunched up her nose when he had the audacity to press a kiss against her nose as if he was trying to be cute and lovey dovey with her. Nope. Not happening. This tenderness would not be allowed because that would lead to feelings for him. She couldn't allow that to happen, so instead she pulled his face to hers to brush her lips against his in an eloquent manner before she gave his hair a slight tug. "Stop talking. You're going to ruin the mood." She murmured against his lips.

Kylo was prepared this time for her sudden assault and eagerly returned her passionate kiss as he obliged by her words and stopped talking. He took them inside the ship, pausing only to close it up before he went on to bring her to his quarters. He went on to lay her down against his bed and hovered above her as he broke the kiss to pepper her neck with kisses instead.

Rey knew that what they were about to do would have its repercussions, but she decided to deal with that later. It had been so long since she'd been with someone that all she wanted to do was act on that instinct alone. She didn't even have a chance to admire the plush mattress he laid her down upon when all of the sudden his lips were placing kisses against the flesh of her neck, making her tilt her face to give him better access whilst soft sounds emitted from her lips on their own accord.

Kylo felt desire flare so deeply throughout his entire form when he heard the soft sounds that he managed to get out of her, making him strain even more against his trousers. He bite down at her pulse harshly before lapping his tongue against the area to try and soothe it when he heard her cry out sharply. His hands begun to roam along her body before stopping at the hem of her shirt, pausing for a moment to look at her for permission.

Rey was nearly panting as a shiver of pleasure traveled down her spine in response to him teasing her. She looked up to catch his gaze when she felt he had stopped in the process of removing her shirt, making her arch a brow. "Now you decide to be polite and ask for permission?" Her words came out with a teasing lilt to them and before she could allow him to answer she swatted his hands aside and went on to begin removing her clothing, knowing it would be quicker since she knew they both were wearing far too much and she wanted… No she needed him right now.

He looked at her in confusion for a brief moment before he got the gist of what she was doing, making him start to remove his multiple layers of clothing as well until all he had on was his boxers. He peered down at her, admiring the now exposed flesh that was on display for him. His tongue glided along his lower lip before he leaned down to catch her lips with his own, loving the feeling of the warmth that emitted from her. He never allowed himself to admire past flings as he was with her. He only took what he needed from them and dismissed them as if they were nothing, but with her it was different. Mine. Yes. He liked the sound of that.

Rey lost herself in their heated kiss and almost missed when his hand reached under her to unclasp her bra and before she could react he had already removed it in one swift movement. The thought of being this exposed in front of him should have made her blush and be embarrassed but in this moment she couldn't dwell over her shyness. Instead she acted on her sudden brazen ways by allowing her fingers to travel down his muscular chest, feeling his muscles ripple under her touch as she explored every inch of him that was available to her until she teasingly brushed the pads of her fingers beneath the fabric of his boxers. Just as she was about to slip her hand within to get a better idea at what she was going to be dealing with she felt his fingers grasp her wrist, making her jut her lower lip out into a pout.

Kylo saw her pouting up at him in a rather adorable manner, making him chuckle as he lifted her hand up to place a kiss against the palm of it. "Not yet. There's no need to rush."

Rey shivered as he gently placed a kiss against her hand then released it to caress her sides as his gaze never left hers even when he leaned down to place kisses between her breasts then down along her stomach. She tensed up in an anxious manner when he kept traveling lower until he was almost where she wanted him to be. She was all but mewling by this point. "Please…" She whispered.

Kylo stopped his motions, smirking against her skin as he pretended to be clueless as to what she wanted. He wanted… No he needed to hear her beg for him. "Please what?" He inquired as he had tried to say that as casually as possible.

Rey squirmed against the bed, biting down on her lip as she glared at him, knowing damn well that he knew what she desired. "You know exactly what. Don't act stupid." She tried to extend her leg out enough for her to use her foot to push his boxers down just a bit before he moved out of her reach, making her elicit an exasperated cry.

He tsked at her before he went to hover above her once again, keeping hold of her gaze, noticing that her lips were now swollen, which made him want to mark her in any way possible for others to see that she belonged to him. With that thought he buried his face against her neck, giving soft kisses here and there before he gently began to suck and bite at her flesh. "Tell me what you want. And I'll give it to you. I swear." He said in between kisses and playful bites.

Rey whined lowly as she tried to push him away from her, but it was like trying to move a boulder. He wouldn't budge. "I want you! Kylo please…"

Just the mere sound of his name coming from her lips was enough for him to give into her. He pulled back just a bit, trying to keep a bank expression when he saw that her skin had started to bruise where he had placed his love bites as to not set her off. He went on to tug at her panties, and almost laughed when she eagerly lifted her hips up to help him. He reached down to gently stroke two of his fingers between her folds and nearly groaned when he noticed how wet she was, but just to make sure she would be ready for him, he carefully slipped his fingers within her heated core. "You are so tight, Rey." He said roughly as he began to slip his fingers in and out of her in a slow pace before he added another finger.

Rey fisted the sheets with one hand whilst the other gripped onto his bicep when he started to slide his fingers within her in a slow manner as he attempted to stretch her a bit when adding another finger. She bit down on her lip to muffle a whimper.

"I think you're more than ready now. Don't you think?" He murmured in the same rough tone as he slipped his fingers out of her with a sly smirk upon his lips.

Rey didn't enjoy seeing how smug he was since he had been having so much fun with teasing her for so long. She sat up quickly and before he could stop her she had gotten hold of his hand and greedily licked her wetness from his fingers. And just to tease him more she gave his fingers a slight suck before releasing them from her mouth with an exaggerated popping noise. She couldn't help but laugh at his shocked expression, making her feign innocence as she batted her eyelashes at him. "Is something wrong? You look a little out of breath."

If he thought she had shocked him earlier well he was completely wrong. He had not been expecting her to be so bold. His cock twitched with excitement when all he could picture was her lips wrapped around him. And just as he had a nice mental image of that he noticed she was arching a brow at him, which made him fully aware that he may have projected that a little too much. With a low growl he pushed her back down onto the bed and quickly disposed of his boxers and was now in the position to be the one laughing when he saw her gaping at him. He cleared his throat as a look of amusement crossed over his features. "Are you alright? You look as if you're going to faint."

Rey hoped to whoever was listening to her current pleas that her jaw had not dropped when she had seen the full extent of what he was packing. She didn't know how that massive thing was going to fit in her but she sure as hell was about to find out. It wasn't until he grabbed her attention by clearing his throat that she noticed she had been practically salivating in front of him, making her place a prurient smile upon her lips. "No, I'm fine. Now are you going to just stay there and stare at me or are you actually going to give me what I want?"

This woman was going to be the death of him. He inwardly noted to himself before he settled back above her, taking hold of himself and just as the tip of his cock teased her entrance with a dewy kiss he stopped from going further when something just occurred to him. "You don't by any chance… Um…" He felt his cheeks redden just a tiny bit as he tried to phrase this properly.

Rey nearly screamed in frustration when she thought she was finally going to relieve the now painful ache she was feeling in her nether regions. And if it couldn't get any worse he was possibly suffering from a stuttering problem at the wrong moment. "Oh for fucks sake! Spit it out!"

Kylo shot her a glare when he heard her outburst, making him speak through clenched teeth. "I was merely trying to ask if you have some sort of protection because I clearly wasn't expecting this to happen."

Rey felt a little ashamed at her outburst since she was so caught up in the moment to even care about that. She sighed softly as she flashed him a sheepish grin. "Ah, that's what you were getting at. Well we are good to go as long as you're clean? I know I am and am protected by my birth control implant."

Kylo stiffened when she mentioned that she had an implant for this situation, making him get all worked up with the thoughts of the reason she had gotten it. He didn't like the idea of her being with anyone else.

Rey frowned as she saw that he had zoned out and felt multiple emotions flowing through their bond, making her wave her hand in front of his face to grab his attention. It baffled her that he could switch up his emotions so easily. "Kylo? Are you sure you're up for this? If not then I'd like to leave." She knew she was lying when she said she would willingly leave. Especially in her current state, but it seemed like he wasn't going to be cooperating any time soon. Oh, well… Guess she'll have to find something or someone to help her out later. It was about then that she now noticed how he had curled his hands into fists as he gripped the sheets of the bed so tightly that his knuckles turned white, making her eyes widen in alarm.

"You wouldn't dare." He said in a venomous tone as he attempted to calm himself down since this ship wasn't going to be able to take the wrath he would release in just a moment.

Rey got up on her knees, placing her hands on his shoulders as she willed him to look at her. "Whoa. No need for a tantrum. Why are you so upset all of the sudden?"

He shut his eyes as he inhaled her scent, feeling his shoulders loosen under her touch. "You said you would go to someone else."

Rey was about to ask what the hell he was referring to when she realized the damn bond had ratted her out. Ugh. She really needed to get this under control. "Oh… I really didn't mean it."

His head shot up quickly as his eyes examined her face, trying to see if she was telling the truth, but his instinct was just telling him to claim her and that's what he did.

Rey yelped when she was suddenly on her back with her arms over her head whilst he kept hold of her hands as he pinned her in place. She didn't even have the nerve to say anything. She didn't want to set him off again… And to be honest she found it very hot when he got all dominant on her.

Kylo smirked as he heard exactly what she was thinking, but didn't make it known to her as he lined himself back at her entrance and without warning he thrusted within her in one fluid motion. He groaned as she clamped around him so tightly, making him pause as he waited for her to adjust to his size.

Rey bit down on her lip to muffle her cry when she felt him fill her so deeply, causing her to arch up off the bed ever so slightly. She was all but panting with need and when it seemed that he wasn't going to make another move she wriggled her hips and forced herself down onto him, making them both moan in unison.

He got her subtle hint and began to slide himself almost completely out of her only to thrust within her in a slow movement, wanting to enjoy the sensation of filling her to the very brim with each thrust he gave.

Rey pinched her eyes shut, clinging onto his hand with her fingers as she locked her legs around his waist tightly. "Kylo…" She whined. _Please go faster!_ She finished her plea in her mind since she didn't think she could voice it aloud.

He complied with her request, groaning lowly as he started to gift her with fast and hard thrusts, loving the sounds he got out of her. He released her hands from his hold to grasp her waist tightly to keep her in place, and because he knew she wanted to use her hands.

Rey immediately dragged her nails of one hand down his back harshly, trembling in response to his loud moan, making her go on to lace her fingers of her other hand in his hair and give it a tug. She clumsily brought her lips to his in a sloppy kiss as she whimpered every now and then when she felt him shift in order to hit her sweet spot, which was driving her insane. She knew she wasn't going to be able to hold on for too long if he kept this up.

Kylo grunted when he felt her nails dig into his back once again, making him break their kiss to bury his face against her neck as he felt himself twitch within her and just as he was going to try to hold back his climax he felt her walls contracting around him almost painfully. "Yes, that's it, Rey. Let go for me." He purred in her ear before he went on to bite down on her pulse once again.

Rey moaned his name as his seductive words had been her undoing. She was trembling badly as her walls contracted around him as she cried out and used both of her hands to dig into his shoulder blades as they both climaxed together.

Kylo buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathing heavily as he slowed his movements as her walls continued to spasm around him and milked his cock for all its worth. He refused to let her go so soon and instead slowly pulled out of her before pulling her against his chest as he placed a kiss against the top of her head.

Rey was dizzy as she was slowly coming down from her high whilst her body shook with the aftershocks of her orgasm. She hid her face against his chest, closing her eyes as she listened to his steady heartbeat. She knew she needed to leave before things got too complicated, and just as she thought of that she felt his lips brush against her hair. He wasn't making this any easier. With a sigh she squirmed out of his hold once she was sure that her legs would be able to support her, making sure to be out of his reach as she started to gather her clothes and get dressed.

Kylo fought back a frown when she had pulled away from him. His content moment was broken, making a pang of sadness travel through him when he knew that she was going to leave him. He reluctantly followed suit, dressing as quickly as he could so he could try and buy himself some more time with her.

Rey had just finished placing on her boots and had begun to fix her hair when she felt his intent gaze upon her, making her turn around to look at him with a coy smile. "Do you want to take a picture? You could hang it up in your room and always be memorized by my gorgeous self every day." She said teasingly as she finished placing her hair into a bun before she noticed how much time must have passed by now, which made her curse under her breath. She would have to come up with a good excuse if she got caught sneaking back in to the resistance base.

Kylo tilted his head as he pondered over her suggestion. "That's not a bad idea. Are you offering to pose for a picture right now?"

Rey blinked in surprise before shooting him a baffled look. "I was only joking. Who knows what filthy things you'd do alone with my picture." She wrinkled her nose in disgust for theatrical purposes as she tried not to smile.

"Hmm… That idea never crossed my mind, but it sounds very tempting. Perhaps next time we meet you'll be a little more up to the idea." He mused as he smirked in a mischievous way.

Rey rolled her eyes as a hint of smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she began to make her way towards the exit, proceeding to open the door. "Keep dreaming." She retorted as she stepped out of his ship, and just as she was about to continue on walking she stopped to spare him a glance. "Do you promise that you'll stop prying into my mind so much?"

Kylo shrugged in a nonchalant manner as he gently closed down their bond so she wouldn't feel what was going through his mind at the moment. "Yes, I promise."

She nodded after she studied his face to see if he was trying to lie to her, and when she started to walk again she heard him call out to her, making her turn to look at him. "Yes?"

"I hope that implant of yours fails." He winked at her before he was veiled by the ship.

Her jaw nearly dropped when she heard what he said, making her pray to whatever Gods were listening to her silent prayer that he would not jinx her. A monster spawn was the last thing she would ever need. She shook that terrible thought away as she made her way towards her ship, and got it started.

~~

To her relief she made it back to the base almost unseen. She felt a little bad for having to use her abilities to swipe someone's mind, but she couldn't afford to have her unexpected trip to be brought to General Organa's attention.

As soon as she was safely locked away in her quarters she quickly went to take a shower, wanting to rid herself of the filth that was on her body.

She was a traitor. That thought was burned into her mind, and she knew it was true. She had just done something so terrible. She was supposed to help the resistance with defeating both the First Order and Kylo Ren, but now she literally had slept with the enemy.

She all but collapsed into bed after her shower, allowing the fluffy comforter to envelop her in its embrace as she turned onto her side just as a yawn emitted from her lips. She closed her eyes, feeling herself relax and begin to drift off into a very much needed sleep. She was in dire need of a good rest, and just as she thought she was exhausted enough to lose herself to the darkness she felt a familiar tug at the back of her mind.

"You've got to be kidding me!" She voiced loudly before she yelled into her pillow. It wasn't until after she was done yelling that she heard his laughter all around her.

 _You asshole! Why can't you let me sleep in peace! You were told not to reach out to me, and you agreed!_

 _I lied. But that shouldn't have come as a surprise. If you really want to sleep… You could always give up your location. I'd happily go and bring you back to my quarters where we can sleep… Or we could go for round two?_ He was trying his hardest to keep his composure as he was sitting in a chair in his quarters, trying to picture the look of irritation that was surely being shown upon her beautiful face.

He was immediately rewarded with a string of profanities before she shut the bond down between them, making him laugh as he decided he'd let her be. Even if it was just for one night.


	2. chapter 2

**_A/N: I didn't really plan on making this into a full on story, but I noticed that a few of you enjoyed the one-shot, so I decided I would go with the flow and see where I can take this fanfic. If you have any suggestions please feel free to comment some. I hope you enjoy this chapter._**

~~

Several days had passed relatively well for Rey. Minus the lascivious-like dreams she was having of the one she wanted nothing more than to forget about. She was never one to believe in karma, but now she was changing her thoughts about it. She thought that she was going to be completely free of him for a while, but no, her bond had other ideas and took advantage when she was sleeping so deeply. If she knew that when they had sealed the deal on their last encounter with one another that their bond would take it as if they both finally accepted their bond unconditionally then she wouldn't have gone through with it.

But nonetheless she had awoken those past several days with an unbearable amount of yearning for his touch that terrified her. If he knew this little secret of hers, she knew without a doubt that he would have been so smug and his ego wouldn't have been able to be contained in the confines of any aircraft or room he was in.

But to her relief their bond had stayed particularly quiet, leading her to believe that he didn't know of her secret need for him, so she was able to carry on with her routine of waking up every morning earlier than anyone else on the base in order to meditate and go through the training exercises that Luke had told her to continue doing whilst she was away from him.

It had been a few weeks prior to her and Kylo's intimate encounter that she had committed to leaving her master in order to see if a change of scenery would help with Kylo's invasion on her privacy. It had been her idea to find refuge elsewhere, but Luke had been the one to go about arranging the choice of the location since he wanted to make sure she went somewhere safe and be with people he trusted. She ended up agreeing rather quickly to his suggestion when she knew she would be reunited with Finn.

And when she finally arrived she was a little nervous, but both Finn and Poe had helped her feel right at home. It didn't take her long to get into a routine and get to know the areas of the base along with how things were run there. And in the very beginning of her stay, her master had initially been right that the more distance she put between herself and his nephew that it gradually became more difficult for him to reach out to her, but his nephew was very patient and managed to get his way in the end. And by that point Rey had all but given up since he had proven that no matter what, he would always be able to reach out to her so easily and that had led to her most recent reckless decision to confront him, which also led to one of the biggest mistakes she's ever made in her life.

She would never be able to forgive herself for it, and she knew once she was reunited with her master that he would be able to get the truth out of her, and know she broke her promise by acknowledging Kylo in the first place instead of ignoring him and using the techniques that Luke had shown her to block him from her completely until they could find a way to either sever or weaken the bond. She just hoped that he wouldn't be too disappointed in her.

And if that thought alone didn't stress her enough, well the message she received from Leia had made her stress level spike up even more when she mentioned that Luke was planning to visit soon to check on her, but hadn't said when that would be.

That led to Rey spending more time meditating and training to center herself, but when that failed to calm her, she had managed to convince Leia to allow her to help fix some of the ships that would periodically become damaged or suffered from some sort of a malfunction.

With that all being said, today had initially started the same as the other days. She awoke with the same frustrating dream that left her all but panting with need along with the beads of sweat that lightly coated her skin even though her room was always set on a very cold setting. She then went about showering and readying herself for the day then proceeded to have her daily breakfast with her two favorite companions before they each went their separate ways for the morning.

And now she was in the process of fixing a problem on a ship that had come to her attention when all of the sudden she heard someone speak from beside her, making her yelp as she bolted upright to her feet.

Finn made sure to keep his distance as he tried not to laugh in response to her reaction to his arrival. "Whoa. It's just me. I'm sorry that I scared you. But in my defense I had been calling out to you multiple times."

Rey was trying to calm her breathing in response to the fright that he had just given her whilst she peered over to meet his gaze. "It's alright. I was just too caught up in my work that I didn't hear you. Sorry."

Finn shook his head as he elicited a laugh. " You don't need to be sorry. I should know by now to not bother you when you're working. But what I came to tell you was that Poe has come back from his mission, and he asked me to let you know that he has a surprise for you."

Rey's hazel optics shone with excitement as she felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth. "Do you know what the surprise may be?"

"No, I don't, but he said for you to find him after you've finished with your work... And I may also know about something else that could be equally exciting that's happening on the base tonight." His lips quirked into a sly smirk.

Rey arched a brow in a curious manner. "And what might that be?"

Finn shrugged his shoulder in a nonchalant manner. "Oh, nothing too interesting... Except that there's going to be a small shindig tonight."

Rey kept her brow arched as a look of confusion flashed along her features. "A shindig?"

Finn blinked as he noticed that she appeared to be confused. "You don't know what that is?" He was all but baffled when he saw her shake her head whilst a tinge of color started to warm her cheeks. "It's a small gathering with friends. We have them every now and then. I'd be honored to escort you there. That's if you'd like to come?"

Rey felt embarrassed for not knowing what a shindig was, but in her defense she had been alone for so long and hardly spent time with others that she missed out on a lot of experiences. She bit her lip as she pondered over his offer, and before she knew what she was doing she had already nodded her head once in answer. "I'd love to go with you. Do we have to get dressed up?" She silently prayed that he would say no since she was never one of those girls that enjoyed to get all dolled up.

He shook his head as a subtle smile played at his lips. "No, you don't have to get all dressed up. It's nothing fancy. I'll stop by your quarters a little after curfew to pick you up."

Rey nearly sighed in relief upon hearing his words, but instead she smiled and told him she'd be ready for when he would come escort her to the gathering before he left to go about his duties.

She was still smiling as she went back to work on her current project at hand, feeling excited for her plans later that evening, knowing that she had to take advantage of little things like this because she didn't know when she would get another chance to. Especially after she would finish her training and become a Jedi like her master. The Jedi life wasn't too appealing to her if she had to be honest, but she knew that she couldn't ignore what she was destined to be. With those thoughts in mind she went back into her tranquil-like state, allowing herself to be fully engrossed with her work.

~~

After she was finished with her latest project, she had asked around if anyone had seen Poe, and was told that he was most likely in his quarters.

She made her way in that direction, but stopped at her quarters to drop some belongings off and to clean herself up. She hadn't realized how dirty she had managed to have gotten until she was in her bathroom. Which made her grateful that she even thought to go clean up.

It wasn't long after that she managed to find her way towards Poe's quarters. She reached out to press a button on the control panel that would signal her arrival, and waited to hear a response. Not even a moment had passed when the door slid open to reveal Poe, making her smile.

Poe returned her smile with one of his own. "Hello, Rey. You look as lovely as ever."

Rey fought back the urge to blush in response to his words. "It's nice to see you, Poe. Especially since now Finn won't be constantly pining over you anymore since you're finally back." Her last words came out with a teasing lilt to them as she sputtered a delicate laugh.

Poe chuckled as he stepped forward to bring her into a gentle hug. "Oh, I've missed you dearly. You're always so funny."

Rey returned his hug before she grinned up at him. And it was about that moment that she started to feel a dull ache directed at the center of her forehead as if she was about to have a headache, but she tried to ignore it, and hoped it would pass. "Why, thank you. I'm glad my humor is appreciated by someone."

He smiled apologetically as a sudden thought dawned on him. "Forgive my lack of manners. Please come in." He stepped aside to allow her to walk into his room before he followed suit just as the door slid in place behind them both.

Rey waved a dismissive hand in response to his apology as she kept her smile in place. "No need for apologies. I probably showed up at a bad time anyway, but it was only because a little birdie told me that you may have a surprise for me?"

"Oh, yes that is indeed correct. Please make yourself at home while I go grab it." He motioned for her to take a seat wherever she wanted to with a smile upon his face before he walked to the opposite side of the room to retrieve the surprise he had for her.

Rey glanced around the room, noticing it was only slightly different than hers, and she found herself smiling in an amused manner as she took in some scattered belongings of his around the room. She was never one to keep her room untidy, but she liked how at least his room made it clear that someone lived in it. When she realized it was probably rude of her to be almost snooping around the room she took a seat against a plush couch and awaited his return.

Poe grinned triumphantly as he returned with a small beige colored knapsack. "I hope you like what I brought you."

Rey looked up when she saw him return to her whilst holding what looked to be a bag. She reached out to take hold of it when he held it out to her, thinking that this was the surprise. "It's lovely. Thank you, Poe. It'll come in handy to hold my supplies when I go out on missions or to even hold my tools for work."

Poe shook his head as he let out a chuckle when he noticed that she thought he only brought her a bag. "Open the knapsack. There's some items inside."

Rey was surprised when he said that there were items inside the bag, but she obliged by his request and opened the bag to reveal some items that were neatly wound up in cloth. She opened a smaller item, and gently unrolled it, revealing a metal part that she recalled mentioning to her friends one day that she needed to fix something, and before she could even pause to thank him she rudely proceeded to open the other wrapped items and all but squealed. She found herself marveling over more parts, tools, and when she thought that was everything, he went on to bring out a few more items from the bag. She gaped at the various beauty items that he laid between them. She lifted a few jars and tried to decipher just what they were before Poe cleared his throat to grab her attention.

"I brought you some bath salts along with hair and skin products. I figured that after a long day fixing ships and whatnot that it would be nice for you to have a nice bath to relax." He grinned in a sheepish manner as he tried to read her expression.

Rey looked down at the beauty products, noticing that they looked to be rather expensive, and the thought of using these items and relaxing in a nice hot bath was so tempting, but she knew deep down that she didn't deserve all of this, which caused her to only smile faintly up at him. "I am beyond touched that you would even think to bring me anything, but I can't accept all of this. It's far too much." She said in a gentle tone as she was still in shock.

Poe placed his hand against hers as he held her gaze. "It's not too much. I wanted to give you these things because you're my friend, and I like to keep my friends happy. You've done so much since you've been here and have gone out of your way when you shouldn't have had to. You deserve to be pampered every now and then. And if it makes you feel any better, I got Finn some stuff too. As well as some things for the gathering tonight. So, will you please accept these gifts? It would make me really happy."

Rey gave his hand a gentle squeeze as she nodded with a smile, knowing that it would have been rude for her to not accept his gifts and it might hurt his feelings. She didn't want that to happen because she cared about him so much. And just as she was about to reply to him, she saw a tinge of red cloud her vision, making her grit her teeth as to not gasp when she felt her head starting to pound profusely.

Poe's brow furrowed as he noticed that her expression of happiness turned into what appeared to be distress, making him panic. "Are you feeling okay? Do you want me to get you some water?"

Rey brushed off his worry as she pinched the bridge of her nose whilst taking in deep calming breaths when she realized what was happening. That damn bastard had finally decided to annoy her with his presence. Once she had their bond back in check, she looked over at Poe whom appeared to be so concerned for her wellbeing. She smiled coyly as she spoke in a neutral manner, hoping to calm him down. "Sorry. I guess the headache I had thought went away had decided to come back with a vengeance. I'm fine now, and I promise that I will put all of these items to good use. Thank you so much for going out of your way to bring me these wonderful gifts."

Poe studied her features for a moment as he tried to make sure that she was in fact alright before he proceeded to speak in a jubilant manner. "That makes me extremely happy to hear. I hope you still feel well enough to stop by the gathering later tonight."

Rey was trying to stay focused on what he was saying as she felt what she could only explain as a persistent prodding sensation in the back of her mind. She was beyond annoyed right now, and wanted nothing more than to scold the living daylights out of Kylo, but instead she made sure to seem as ecstatic as her friend currently was. "Of course I will be going. Finn will be escorting me there. I actually should start getting ready for it." She added her last words in hopes he got the hint and would allow her to leave before that annoying pest of hers would make his presence even more known than he already had.

Poe stood up and carefully placed the items he had gotten her back into the knapsack for her to be able to carry them more easily. "I look forward to seeing you later."

She bid him goodbye before she carried her new belongings with her to her quarters. Which didn't take long since she all but sprinted over towards it. And once she was there she set the bag down onto a table before she went on to take a seat on her bed, closing her eyes as she focused on allowing the bond to open just a tiny bit.

What she wasn't expecting was that he would take advantage of that small opening and had allowed himself to be almost fully within her mind. She hissed in response to the sudden intrusion as her fingers clutched the comforter when she felt multiple emotions flowing through the bond and straight into her.

She felt rage, betrayal, jealousy, and maybe sadness? But the one that stuck out the most was his rage. That had to be the reason why she had seen red in her line of vision earlier. But the real question was why?

 _Don't act all innocent. You know the reason why._ Kylo retorted in a venomous tone.

Rey huffed as she tried to keep herself calm as to not allow him to read her emotions so easily. Even though his tone had nearly sent a shiver down her spine in response to how much animosity was within his words. _If I knew why you decided to pull me into your sudden hissy fit then I wouldn't be as confused as I am right now. It's only right that you tell me the reason._

Kylo was pacing around his room with his hands clenched into fists as he was beyond infuriated at the moment. How dare she act like she didn't know that she had been projecting her emotions so loudly that it allowed him to get a sense of what she had been feeling a short while ago. And it probably was on purpose because she was with that imbecile of a pilot.

Rey was beyond confused when he fell silent all of the sudden, but then she had gotten her answer when he had been relaying what had bothered him rather too loudly since their bond was open to the both of them at the moment. She couldn't hold back a laugh. _Are you seriously jealous right now?_

Kylo stopped pacing around the room upon hearing what she had asked him as he was trying to regain his composure instead of giving into his instincts of tearing his room apart to relieve his anger. Her mocking him wasn't helping the issue either.

Rey was waiting for his answer and when it seemed that he was remaining silent she shook her head in disbelief. _I guess I will have to take that as a yes. Now that, that is cleared up, I would appreciate it if you let me be so I can go about my business._ She pinched her eyes shut as she concentrated on trying to gently shield her mind from his when all of the sudden she felt a strong wave of emotion hit her that made her whimper. It took a moment for the feeling to pass before she heard his voice echoing through her mind.

 _Don't do it again._ He whispered in a doleful tone.

Her brows furrowed as she listened to his request. _Don't do what?_

 _Don't push me out again._ He announced in the same doleful tone as his voice had wavered ever so slightly.

Rey stilled when she felt a wave of sorrow flow through her, which made her whimper once again. She almost felt bad for having kept him from her for so long, but she also silently wondered if this could be a trick. What if he was just forcing such fake emotions towards her? Was his plea for her to keep their bond open for him only to have the opportunity to wait until she was defenseless in order to find out where she was? No. She couldn't allow that.

 _It's not a trick. If you accepted our bond fully like I have then you would know how hard it was for me to be kept away from you for so long._ Kylo blinked in surprise when he noticed that somehow during these last few moments he was now seated on his bed. But the surprise was forgotten and replaced with mild amusement when he felt a tug against their bond, knowing that her curiosity had gotten the best of her. So, he allowed himself to lower his walls just a fraction to allow her to prod all she wanted in order to see the truth in his words.

Rey bit down on her lip as she allowed herself to believe what he had said for just a moment, and against her better judgement she reached out to look into his mind, and had to try her best to not grimace when she saw flashes of some memories of his that were rather too gruesome to witness. She tried to brush past those moments as to not allow herself to feel sorry for him, and when she was all but about to give up on her search, she fell upon a very recent memory of his. It felt weird to be experiencing this rather private moment of his, but she knew that she needed to see this out.

She saw him lying in bed one night as he was all but restless since he hadn't been able to reach out to her. He was worried that something had happened to her, and the thought of losing her hurt him more than he had expected. He had been so anxious after another day had passed still without knowing if she was alive and well, which caused him to disobey Snoke's orders and instead he led a small amount of his men to search for her on one particular planet that had come to their attention that she may have been spotted there. And when he thought all hope was lost when they didn't find a trace of her being there, he suddenly felt a spark of their bond come to life upon his return to the First Order's base in response to a strong emotion that was radiating from her. It had annoyed him that he couldn't decipher the feeling until she had been so excited that he was able to pry into her mind more, and what he saw had made him so livid. She was in the company of that pilot, and to top it off he was giving her gifts as if she were his lady to spoil. If she were his, he would lavish her with the most extravagant of things. Only the best for her. If only he could…

Before Rey could finish what else came with that last moment she was suddenly pushed out his mind, making her cry out with how forceful that had been. She clutched her head in her hands as she tried to ride out the pain.

 _I apologize. I didn't intend for you to see that much, and I should have pulled away more gently._

Rey gritted her teeth as she listened to his apology, which made her angry since he was being so nice. No. This had to be a trick. There was no way that these emotions could really be within him. He was a monster. _You don't have the right to be kind to me. Nor the right to be jealous over my friends that were only being kind to me. And you definitely have no right to think that you could claim me as yours. There is nothing between us. What happened a few days ago was a mistake._ Oh, for fucks sake... You let a man near your lady bits once and they think they have some claim on you. She mused to herself in annoyance.

Kylo had to make sure to keep himself calm as to not allow her to know how her words were affecting him. _Don't act like you didn't enjoy our moment together. And let us not forget that particular incident that now I have come to find was the real reason as to why you felt the need to seek me out. You secretly desire me._ He felt rather smug when he felt her initial reaction to his comment.

Rey sucked in a breath as her cheeks flushed with both embarrassment and anger. _I do not secretly desire you! For all I know, you projected that revolting fantasy of yours into my mind and instead of coming clean about it, you made me think that I had dreamt it!_

Kylo snorted as he listened to her poor attempt at defending herself. _If I had shown you a fantasy of mine that revolved around us it would have been far better and more detailed. But let's not stray from what happened after you awoke from that dream. I recall that you had went on to—_

 _Don't you dare finish that sentence!_ She was blushing furiously by this point and was beyond fuming as she recalled what he was referring to. It had been another moment of weakness or rather what she liked to referred to as her hormones getting the best of her.

Kylo smirked deviously as he knew that he had proven his point and was enjoying that he could get her so easily riled up. _Ah, so you do remember. It was quite the show. I sometimes enjoy playing that scene out in my mind when I'm alone in my quarters every so often._

 _You are disgusting! I'm not going to sit here any longer and listen to all of your lies. I know you're just trying to confuse me in an attempt to get me to change sides, and I won't allow that._ She didn't bother to wait to listen to his next remark and instead used all her might in order to shut their bond down. It hadn't taken too much effort since he wasn't expecting her to do that, but it still hurt nonetheless.

She was beyond frustrated with herself for allowing him to get the best of her. She wasn't going to make that mistake again. She tried to push this incident to the back of her mind and focused on the thought of getting to spend time with her friends that would help distract her.

~~

Not long had passed since Rey had finished taking a shower and changed into a clean outfit. She decided to change her hairstyle just a bit and went on to braid her hair into a simple side french braid. She even used some of the beauty products that Poe had graciously given her.

After she was done fretting over her appearance she wondered if Finn was on his way yet, and as if he heard her thoughts, she heard someone at her door, making her smile as she made her way towards the door, opening it quickly and was immediately face-to-face with Finn.

Finn's eyes widened when he took in Rey's appearance. He had always thought she was stunning, but tonight she was even more radiant than he'd ever seen her before. He extended his arm out for her to take hold of with a grin. "You're going to break so many hearts tonight." He said teasingly and was rewarded with a slight blush, which made him chuckle.

Rey smacked his arm playfully as she elicited a laugh before she grabbed hold of his arm, allowing him to lead them to their current destination. "Oh, shush. I look the same as I ever do. Now hurry and get us to the gathering. I'm in dire need of a drink, and I have a feeling Poe will have some waiting for us."

Finn was excited to see that Rey was finally going to loosen up and have fun some fun for once. "I like this bolder version of yourself. You should let her out to play more." He retorted in the same teasing way as he made sure to keep pace with her as they walked.

"I don't think you all could handle that side of me." She nudged his hip with a laugh. She wasn't going to let her earlier issue ruin her plans for tonight. She would dwell over that another day, but for now she was going to be carefree and enjoy the freedom that she had left. She just hoped that she wouldn't go too crazy tonight, but only time will tell.


	3. chapter 3

Rey was a little out of her comfort zone when she was all but thrown to the pack of wolves almost immediately after arriving at the gathering. She made small talk with some of Poe and Finn's friends before she was finally led to an old stump to sit on and she graciously accepted a cup of ruby liquid. She arched a brow as she tentatively took a sniff of the contents before looking up in time to see that both Poe and Finn were staring at her with matching amused expressions. "What is this?"

Poe's lips twitched as he fought back the urge to laugh. "It is just wine. I promise that you'll like it."

Rey shrugged as she took a sip of the drink before she wrinkled her nose in response to the semi bitter taste to it. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would have been, and with that in mind she downed the rest of the contents then proceeded to hold the empty cup out in front of her. "I'll have another one please."

Both Finn and Poe blinked in surprise when they witnessed that she chugged the wine so quickly, but Finn was the only one who recovered quickly enough to nod his head before he took hold of her empty cup. "I'll be right back."

Poe waited until Finn was out of earshot before he cleared his throat to grab Rey's attention. "I've been meaning to ask if you feel better now?"

Rey had been gazing around the little gathering, taking in the happy expressions of her fellow peers and was filled with an unfamiliar emotion. It could only be described as the feeling of belonging, but she was soon brought out of her reverie when she heard Poe speak to her. "Hmm? Oh, yes, I feel fine now. Thank you for asking." She stammered her reply in an almost embarrassing manner.

Poe nodded as he took a sip of his beer, giving himself a moment to gather up the courage to ask her something that had been bugging him for some time now, and luck seemed to be on his side since he saw that Finn had gotten distracted on his way back with Rey's drink when someone had called out to him. "May I ask you one more thing? If it seems too personal for you to answer then that's alright. I will drop the subject entirely."

Rey's brow furrowed as a confused expression crossed over her features for just a brief moment. "What is it that you want to ask?"

Poe grimaced ever so slightly as he ran his fingers through his hair in an absent-minded manner before he cleared his throat again. "Well, since you've been here I've always seen you so calm and collected, but I couldn't help but notice that for a while you looked so worn down, and it seemed as if something or someone was bothering you. If someone here is giving you a hard time then feel free to point them out to me, and I will personally deal with them."

Rey refrained from showing any emotion when she heard what he had said. She inwardly cursed at herself since she thought she had managed to hide her issues that she was trying to deal with on her own rather well, but it wasn't until she relayed his words again that made her shake her head. "It's not someone here that's bothering me. I'm very flattered that you would offer to go out of your way to help me though."

Poe's brow furrowed. "If it's not someone here that's bothering you then who is it?"

Rey bit her lip as she pondered over what to say. She trusted him enough after getting to know him, but should she expose him to her issues? With a defeated sigh she finally made her decision. "If I have to talk about that person, I'll have to be less sober."

Poe didn't have the chance to pry any further because Finn had finally come back with Rey's refreshment.

~~

Some time had passed now, and within that time, Rey had gained some confidence due to her liquid courage that was coursing through her, allowing her to go and mingle with others without having her best friends beside her. And to her own surprise as well as others, she had even partaken in the act of dancing for a short while before she had taken a break and found herself being fully engrossed with listening to people tell their share of wild stories, and she surprisingly had shared a few of her own before little by little people had started to leave until it was only herself and her two closest friends beside her.

Since it was just the three of them now, Poe had tried to gently approach their earlier topic again, and had kindly relayed the information that Rey confided in him earlier to Finn in order to get him caught up, and hopefully get his help with trying to figure out a way to help her.

But Rey wasn't having that. She didn't want to ruin her current mood, so instead she placed her index finger against Poe's lips. "Shh. I don't want to talk about him right now."

Poe couldn't help but laugh in response to her actions, shaking his head with mild disbelief when he couldn't help but notice that Rey was so out of it already, but what he didn't expect was for her to reveal the gender of the person who was bothering her.

"Before we put this discussion to an end can we at least get the name of that person?" Finn inquired as casually as he could manage as he was in the process of trying to take her last cup of wine from her since he knew she had too much already.

Rey huffed in annoyance in response to their current pestering, and just as she was about to just tell them about Kylo to shut them both up, she froze in shock when she felt the thrum of the bond come to life.

 _Careful, Rey. You're not in the right state of mind._ Kylo warned her.

"Just leave me alone!" Rey cried out in frustration.

Kylo released an exasperated sigh as he rubbed a hand over his face. His patience was wearing so thin now that it was luckily masking his earlier sorrows of when she had abandoned him again. _You just proved to yourself that you're not fully aware at the moment. Just take a look at your friends expressions. It's actually quite hilarious._

Rey was momentarily confused by Kylo's words until she saw hurt expressions upon her friends faces, making her bolt upright to her feet. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't saying that to the both of you."

"Well, not to state the obvious… But it's just us here, Rey. There's no one else you could have meant to say that to." Finn noted in a pained tone.

Poe stood up in order to get to Rey, using his fingers to tilt her face up to look at him as sudden realization hit him. It was then that he felt so stupid for not thinking of this sooner. "It's him isn't it? He's in your head?"

Rey whimpered lowly in response to a sudden flare of emotion that hit her so hard as soon as Poe had touched her, but that didn't stop her from speaking in a hushed manner. "Yes."

 _Tell that revolting piece of shit to remove his hands from you! Now!_ Kylo demanded with such animosity laced in his tone.

Rey winced when she both heard and felt how angry he was, making her hastily pull away from Poe in order to put some distance in between them before she focused on trying to push Kylo away one last time.

It had taken Finn some time to understand what was going on until it was too late. He watched as Rey was beginning to walk away from them. "Rey, don't leave like this!"

"We can find someone to help you. Just please don't pull away from us." Poe voiced in distress.

Rey shook her head to try and keep Kylo at bay whilst also directing that action to her friends. "No one can help me now. It's too late." It took all of her willpower to turn her back on her friends as she broke out into a jog to make her way to the only safe haven she had left to call her own.

~~

Rey opened her eyes warily as she had stirred awake. It wasn't until she tried to move onto her side that she let out a groan in response to a headache that she had awoken to.

She was in dire need of caffeine. That was her go to option whenever she suffered from a headache. It wouldn't surprise her that when she finally left the Resistance base that she would suffer from withdrawals since she had taken up drinking it almost daily from all of the headaches she suffered in response to Kylo's constant prying. At the mere mention of his name, all of last nights moments came rushing back to her, making her force herself to get out of bed with a huff.

"How could I have been so stupid!" She mused aloud as she stomped her way towards the bathroom, discarding of her clothes along the way before she turned on the water and proceeded to go under the running water. She hissed in response to the cold water hitting her skin, but she didn't care. She washed her hair and scrubbed her skin almost raw before she managed to get out of the shower and hurry to get dressed.

She knew that she needed to make amends, and hopefully with a clearer head she would be able to come clean to her friends before she had no choice but to go to Leia because they were due for a long needed chat. But first she needed her coffee fix, making her slip on her boots hastily before she made her way out of her room to go in the direction of the cafeteria.

That's exactly where she spotted her two friends at as soon as she walked into the room. She spared them a glance before she headed over to retrieve her cup of coffee, taking her time with adding as much cream and sugar before she gathered up the courage to walk over towards the table and took a seat across from both Poe and Finn. "I don't expect you both to forgive me, but I just want you both to know that I'm so sorry. I should have told you both the truth so long ago. I just didn't want you guys to see me any differently."

It was nearly killing her on the inside with how quiet they both were, and just as she was even thinking about getting up from the table she was surprised to see them both smiling at her in the same way they always had.

Poe reached out to place his hand over hers. "You don't need to ask for our forgiveness. We would never think less of you, just because you had to carry this burden alone for so long."

Finn nodded in agreement with what Poe had said before he too grasped her other hand gently. "We should be the ones to ask for your forgiveness. We should have come to you sooner when we realized that something wasn't right, but for now on we want you to know that you can come to us for any reason."

Rey blinked back tears as she gripped their hands tightly. She felt so lucky to have these two incredible men in her life. "Oh, jeez. You guys need to stop being so mushy. It's going to make your manliness go down a notch." She said teasingly as to help lighten the mood, and just as she expected, she was rewarded with a chorus of laughter from her friends and she happily joined in, and just like that, everything had gone back to normal between them all.

After she had gone about retrieving herself some food and had drunken enough coffee, she had filled them both in on what had been happening so far minus some moments that seemed too personal for them to know about, and to her own amusement their reactions were quite humorous, but that humor was long forgotten once Rey had excused herself in order to get one very important conversation over with. It was time for a chat with the only person who knew Kylo better than anyone else. His mother.

~~

Kylo's POV

He gritted his teeth in order to not let out a hiss in response to the antiseptic being applied to his newly opened wounds by a medical droid, making him wave off the apologies it was starting to stammer to him. These types of droids had always annoyed him, but he had grown accustom to their presence since he would periodically be in need of their assistance whenever he was injured.

It had been a while since he had last been injured. That was on Starkiller Base during his duel with the one person that always managed to consume his every thought, and ironically it was her fault that he had even gotten injured once again. After his little stunt of disobeying Supreme Leader's direct orders when he had devised a mission to search for her and had nonetheless come back empty handed it had come with its repercussions.

Supreme Leader had summoned him, and it led to his mind being prodded in a rather heinous manner before he was subjected to hours of extensive training, and when he had finally been so worn out, his fellow knights were ordered to continue their attack. They had gotten some relatively good blows, but in the end he was able to gather the last of his energy and lashed out against them all.

He felt rather smug that some of his knights had been hospitalized for quite some time whilst a few lucky ones only suffered from much minor wounds. It had been worth it though. Because in the end he was able to finally know that Rey was still alive and well. That was all the hope he needed in order to stay focused on his main task. He would get her to join him one way or another.

He was suddenly brought out of his inner thoughts when the medical droid had caused him to cry out when it had come time to bandage his most sensitive wound. He waited until it was done before he gritted his teeth once again as he stretched his arm out, allowing the darkened tendrils of the force to flow through him as his hand made a swift motion and the sounds of crushing metal was all that could be heard before the now destroyed droid collapsed against the floor.

He huffed in annoyance as he got up to his feet before he hastily put his clothing back on along with his helmet. As he made his way out of the medical unit he was met with a stormtrooper. He ordered him to clean up the mess and have another medical droid brought there before he left to make his way towards his quarters. He didn't bother to see if the stormtrooper had listened to his commands because everyone knew what would happen if they disobeyed him.

As soon as he was safely back in his quarters he discarded of his helmet and all of his clothing before he placed on a pair of sweatpants since he didn't want to put on a shirt with it because it would just put pressure on his wounds. He then proceeded to climb into bed, biting down on his lip harshly in order to not hiss when his wounds had started to protest when he was trying to get into a comfortable position. He waited until the annoying throbbing sensation went away before he pinched his eyes shut, willing himself to fall asleep, but it was useless. His mind was beginning to race with so many thoughts that decided to flow through his mind at once.

An exasperated sigh escaped his lips as he laced his fingers together after resting his hands against his stomach before he did what he usually did when he couldn't quiet his mind. He tried to reach out to his bond-mate, gritting his teeth when he had to use more effort than he usually had to, due to his weakened state.

A feeling of restlessness was starting to course through him since he wasn't able to reach her, making him inwardly curse at himself since he knew that he had pushed her too hard last night, but he couldn't help it. He hated to admit the reason why. He was jealous because he couldn't be the one to make her as happy as he felt she had been the previous night. He wanted to be there with her, making sure she was safe, and treated as she should be treated. What made it worse was that her intoxicated state allowed him to peer into her mind until he could see exactly what she was experiencing, but the final straw had been when that pilot had laid his filthy hands upon his beloved.

He was brought out of his reverie when he felt a spark of emotion from her, making him take advantage as he held onto it, trying to decipher what that emotion was. Not even a moment had passed when he was able to feel how anxious she was, allowing him to grasp a better hold on their bond until he was able to get flashes of what she was doing. He made sure to keep silent and not to prod too much since he didn't want her to feel his presence, but what made his hold slip was the moment he saw his mother. He froze as he choked back a gasp, causing him to withdrawal from her mind before he sat upright in bed, allowing himself to bask in the pain that motion had granted him. The pain was able to wash away the mixed emotions he felt when he had seen his mother, but that didn't stop him from wondering why Rey would be seeing her. Sleep was inevitable by that point, so instead he did something that he hadn't don't in ages. He began to meditate until he was in a tranquil-like state that finally allowed him to succumb to a deep sleep a while later. His earlier worries would be thought of another time, but for now he needed to rest in order to heal faster. Then it would be time for him to make his move in order to have his beloved at his side.

Rey's POV

Rey had just walked into the spacious office when all of the sudden a flare of emotion had hit her, but since she was already on edge she brushed it off thinking that it was just her nerves since she was extremely anxious as soon as her gaze fell upon Leia.

A jubilant smile graced Leia's lips as her gaze settled upon Rey. "Good morning, Rey. I'm so delighted that you have come to pay me a visit. Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Good morning, Leia. I'm sorry for coming to meet with you on such short notice." Rey retorted in a serene manner before she graciously accepted a cup of tea, allowing her to gather up her thoughts as she took a sip of it.

Leia waved off her apology as she went about making herself a cup of tea before she sat across from Rey, motioning for her to do the same as she kept her smile in place. "You are always welcome to come to me at any given moment." She took a moment to take a sip of her tea, which also gave her time to glimpse over Rey's features, taking note that there seemed to be something wrong. "Was there a particular reason that you needed to come see me? I hope everyone has been treating you as they should be."

Rey's eyes widened in alarm before she shook her head. "Oh, no! I assure you that everyone has treated me just fine, and that I'm very grateful for being allowed to stay here." Rey chewed on her bottom lip for a brief moment before she drew in a deep breath to calm herself before she finally came clean. "I came here to talk to you about your son."

Leia choked on her tea in response to the mere mention of her son before she waved off Rey's concerned remarks as her coughing fit had finally passed. "What is it that you want to discuss about B—, I mean Kylo?" She winced slightly when she had almost addressed him by his true name.

Rey took a moment to make sure that Leia was fine before she cleared her throat to speak in an almost hushed tone. "I should have come to you sooner, but I guess my pride had gotten the best of me. I thought I could keep him away from me over a period of time, but he's been very persistent. Only my master knows of what I'm about to tell you."

Leia arched a brow in a curious manner as she braced herself for whatever Rey was about to tell her, but also made a mental note to have a nice long chat with her brother when he would finally make his appearance. "Go on, Rey. I promise that whatever is said in this room will stay in here."

"Your son and I somehow share some sort of bond. My master still doesn't know how or when it occurred, but over time the bond has grown stronger. I tried to keep him out of my head at first, and it seemed to be working up until he managed to overpower me and was able to pry into my mind even more. It got to the point that I wanted to go far away in order for the bond to weaken, but Kylo of course wouldn't allow that to be a problem and he had managed to keep tabs on me at any moment. No matter how much distance I put between us." Rey took a much needed breath after she had embarrassingly rambled everything she had been withholding from Leia.

The General was taken aback. She hadn't been expecting Rey to say what she had, but it shouldn't have surprised her that her son had leeched himself onto this innocent girl. She would need to ask for the Gods forgiveness for not being able to help her son before it was too late to save him. She took in a calming breath before she met Rey's gaze. "I'm so sorry that this has happened to you. I had heard rumors about this sort of thing happening, but I didn't believe them until now." Leia reached out to place her hand against Rey's, offering her subtle smile. "I promise that I will do anything in my power to help you through this matter, but I need to ask you of something in return."

Rey stiffened for a brief moment before she relaxed after Leia had gave her hand a gentle squeeze. She nodded her head in answer to her unspoken request as her mind was reeling with the possibilities of what Leia could be ready to ask of her. "I'll do anything you ask of me."

Leia elicited a half-hearted laugh. "Don't be so eager just yet, my dear. I don't expect you to agree, but I have to ask nonetheless. Can you tell if there's any light left in him? Even after all of these years I have kept faith that somehow he would make his way back home, and that Snoke hasn't managed to take him fully from me. He will always be my son no matter what."

Rey averted her gaze from Leia in order to blink back tears as she heard what she had asked, making her take a moment before she looked at her again, speaking in a mere whisper. "I don't know if there's anything left of the one you cared about in him. What I do know is that he makes it well known that he doesn't like when I keep myself from him, and for a moment he let his walls down enough for me to feel his sadness when I had pushed him away so many times. I don't know if that means that he cares for me or if he just wants to use me for my abilities. I hope that answers your question."

Leia sucked in a breath as tears filled the rim of her eyes before she squeezed Rey's hand, smiling through her tears as she felt a spark of hope flow through her. Maybe her son wasn't as lost as she thought he was. It was then in this moment that she felt even more grateful for this wonderful lady showing up in their lives. She could be the key in saving her son, and for that she would be forever in her debt. "Thank you for telling me this. If it's not too much to ask of you, may you come to me a few times out of the week to report back to me if you find out something that may help with bringing him back to us or anything to help us bring down Snoke?"

A look of determination settled upon her features as she nodded once again. "Of course. I am happy to be of any help."

~~

A while had passed since Rey had returned to her quarters, and within that time she pampered herself by taking a nice calming bath before she finally changed into something comfortable.

With a sigh she got into bed, pulling the covers over herself as she did the unthinkable. She opened their bond up fully since she knew that if she was to gather any information out of Kylo, she would need to use their bond to her advantage, but what surprised her was that she felt nothing at first. It was quite odd. It left her to believe that he was most likely being petty and giving her the silent treatment. She wasn't going to beg for his attention, so she proceeded to close her eyes and willed herself to sleep.

It didn't take long for sleep to come, but soon her peaceful rest was disturbed when she was suddenly now standing in an unfamiliar room.

This wasn't one of the normal dream locations that she had seen before, making her curious enough to walk about the room, taking in its darkened interior along with how messy it was. It wasn't until she got closer to the large bed that rested in a corner of the room that she froze in her tracks in response to a deep voice.

"Why, hello, Rey. It's so nice to finally be in your presence once again."

Rey cursed under her breath before she turned around to face him before she rolled her eyes. "I should have known that this rather depressing room was yours." She noted dryly.

Kylo took a step towards her whilst his gaze traveled upon her entire form, making him smirk. "That's quite an outfit you have on."

Rey arched a brow in confusion before she looked down at herself, and nearly yelped in surprise. Usually when they met in these types of dreams she was clothed in her usual attire, but this time she was merely wearing a tank top and her panties that she had chosen to sleep in. _Oh, you've got to be kidding me!_ She inwardly voiced before she felt her entire face and body flush a shade of scarlet.

Kylo chuckled as he walked closer to her, taking note that she was looking rather adorable as she was left suddenly all shy and currently blushing furiously. "Are you alright, Rey? You're looking a little coy at the moment."

Rey scowled as she watched him close the distance between themselves, hating that he was making fun of her, which only caused her to become more annoyed. "Oh, shut up. I clearly wasn't expecting to be pulled into a dream with you. For all I know, you orchestrated this whole dream and chose what I was wearing too."

Kylo snorted as he listened to her rambling before he shook his head in disagreement. "I'll have you know that I didn't bring you here. It was you that reached out to me, but I can't say that I'm disappointed about how you're dressed right now. It's almost enough to make me forgive you for disturbing my sleep."

Rey balked as she heard what he had retorted, making her proceed to scoff. "I did no such thing! I simply went to bed as usual, and then ended up here with you. This shouldn't even be considered a dream. It's more of a nightmare."

Kylo smirked furthermore as he listened to her attempt at trying to defend herself, but it proved to be quite useless. "There's no use in lying. We both know now by experience that the only way that we end up in these dreams with one another is when one of us is reaching out through our bond. So, it leads me to believe that you willingly let your guard down in order to visit me. It's actually quite sweet."

That was the final straw for her, causing her to give into her frustration as she reflexively raised her hand as if she were going to hit him, but what she didn't expect was for him to grasp her wrist before she could do anything that she could regret. She gritted her teeth as held his gaze, not wanting him to think that she would cower in response to the look he was currently giving her.

He tsked at her as he kept hold of her wrist. "Now that's no way to treat a guest in your dream." Then suddenly a flash of excitement shone in his darkened hues before he smirked in a wicked manner. "Have you already forgotten what happened after you hit me the last time we were in each other's presence?"

Rey sucked in a breath as she witnessed a certain look mirroring in both his eyes and features, making her try to break out of his hold, but it was useless because his grip on her was so tight. So, instead she held her head up high as she set her jaw in a stubborn stance. "That will never happen again. It was a moment of weakness that I will forever regret. Now would you kindly let go of me, so I can get us both out of here. I'd like to get some sort of rest instead of wasting all of my energy arguing with you." She replied in a haughty manner.

Kylo was unfazed by her actions and words, which only made him want to prove a point. In a swift motion he had been able to press her up against a wall, keeping hold of both of her wrists in one hand before he nuzzled his face against her neck. "Are you sure it was only one moment of weakness? Because I'm more than sure that if you really felt disgusted by me that you wouldn't have a problem with not responding to my touch." Before he could give her a chance to respond to him, he teasingly bit down at her pulse.

Rey was more than shocked when he pinned her against the wall, making her immediately think of ways to break out of his hold, but that was soon forgotten when she felt his teeth clamp down upon the spot of her neck that always drove her mad. She whimpered lowly as she felt her legs turn to jello as they couldn't hold her up in response to that most pleasurable sensation. "S-stop. This isn't right." She stammered aloud as she tried to gain back some of her composure.

Kylo ignored her request as he pressed his body against hers in order to keep her upright as he teasingly lapped his tongue against the area that he had just bitten, enjoying the whimpers of delight that she was letting out. "That's not very convincing. You'll have to try harder to get me to stop. Because I know for a fact that if I were to place my hand against a particular spot of yours that I will be able to feel your need for me. Isn't that right, Rey?" He murmured against her skin in a rough tone.

 _No. Just no. This can't be happening again. Please let me wake up!_ She told herself whilst her last words were a silent plea to whomever may have been listening, because there was no way that she was going to let this go any further. And with that thought in mind she allowed herself to relax in his hold, forcing a fake moan to spill from her lips in order to make him think that she was playing along whilst blocking him from her mind just enough as to not tip him off about her current plan. "Kylo…" She whispered in a breathless manner, hoping she wasn't overdoing it with her theatrics.

Kylo stiffened ever so slightly as he was currently in shock that she was actually responding to him. He knew he was going to greedily take advantage of this situation, causing him to lift her up in order to bring her over to his bed where he proceeded to lay her down against it. He pulled away just slightly to allow his gaze to travel up and down her entire form before his gaze finally rested upon her face, taking notice of a look of yearning that crossed over her features, and that was enough for him to lean down to crush lips against hers.

Rey had been trying her hardest to remember that she wasn't allowed to continue this any further, but she should have been expecting him to kiss her, and against her better judgement she lost herself in the moment as their gentle kiss turned into a raw passionate one, making her lace her fingers through his hair. Her legs had parted at some point and were now resting against his waist. _Oh, jeez… I know this is so bad, but it feels so good._ She reluctantly noted to herself before she forced herself to pay attention to how he was holding her in order to wait for her moment to strike.

Kylo groaned lowly in response to feeling her dainty fingers tugging at his hair as their kiss had deepened, and just as his hands began to wander he suddenly felt her knee come up to jab him in his abdomen, causing him to cry out as he recoiled from her.

Rey rejoiced as she was able to catch him off guard, and as soon as he pulled away from her, she bolted off the bed and all but ran towards the opposite side of room before she closed her eyes and concentrated on breaking out of this dream state. She flinched slightly when she heard Kylo call out to her, but she ignored him as she gritted her teeth in response to all of the effort it was taking her to accomplish this little task, and just as she was going to lose hope she felt the telltale signs of the dream realm starting to ripple until she was feeling herself wake up, but it didn't happen as quickly as she hoped because she still was able to hear his parting words.

 _It_ _'s far too late for you to deny that you care about me as much as I care for you. I won't stop looking for you. We belong together, whether you come to terms with it or not._

Those words nearly caused her to panic. She knew he spoke the truth, and that's what terrified her. And when she woke up safely in the confines of her room she relayed his parting words in her mind, knowing deep down that it was truly too late. She did care for him. No matter how sick and twisted it was. Maybe she wasn't filled with as much of the light as she had thought since she was slowly being pulled to the one that she secretly desired so deeply that was filled with such darkness.

 ** _A/N: I want to take the time to thank the person who gave me some ideas about how to go about this chapter. If there are any other requests for a certain scene that you want to happen, please feel free to comment them, and I will see how I can incorporate them into the story._**


	4. chapter 4

It wasn't until after Rey had her rather interesting talk with Leia that led her to come up with an idea the following morning that would benefit both the General, and their fellow peers at the base. But that reckless idea turned into a full on plan later that night, and to be truthfully honest she was rather disappointed with herself that it had taken her so long to come up with this idea, because it was something that was actually right up her alley in the first place. She just needed some time to get everything all sorted together, knowing that this big event couldn't happen overnight, and that mindset alone is what led her to go on to study her current target for the next three weeks.

And those past few weeks had been very eventful to say the least. Within that time she had managed to keep the plan she had recently devised a complete secret from everyone, but the limited days prior to when her plan would go into action the following week were the most crucial of days, because she had to make sure to pay attention to every single thing that Kylo did throughout those entire days, whilst making sure to take mental notes of certain things that she thought would be useful for her to remember in case she needed to refer back to any of those moments in the near future.

Along with paying attention to his usual routine, Rey had to make sure to leave her side of the bond more open than usual to make it appear that she was finally coming around to the idea of fully accepting it, just as Kylo had. But the only issue with doing that was for the constant reminder she had to give herself to not abruptly push him out of her head as she was so accustom to doing whenever she felt that she was allowing herself to become too vulnerable under his watch. And if that wasn't bad enough, what made it harder on her was the countless energy she had to use in order to keep herself so focused on making sure the details of her plan were safely locked away within an area of her mind where Kylo wouldn't have access to.

But to her utter astonishment, Kylo had actually managed to keep his prying to a minimum whenever he felt her feeling a little uneasy at any given moment. And if that didn't surprise her enough, well that next thing he did had topped it off, because he also made sure to respect any private moment that she hinted at needing every now and then. It was that little act of kindness that he had shown her that led her to believe that Leia was possibly right that there was still a little bit of light left in him.

That revelation alone edged her on to continue with her plans, making her anxiously wait for an opportunity to reach out to the main person that would be helping her to make this plan successful. And luck seemed to have been on her side because she had found her opportunity on one particular night when she noticed that Kylo had allowed himself to succumb to a rather deep sleep in response to him finally feeling that he could trust her after she had shown him that she was going to stop resisting him altogether.

But little did he know that she would immediately take advantage of that situation and proceeded to reach out to Luke through the force, informing him of his important role in her plan before she hastily asked him to relay what she had just said to Leia since it was already too risky that she had allowed herself to stay in contact with him for so long. And after she bid her goodbye to him, she silently prayed that everything would go smoothly, and that Kylo would fall into her trap like she hoped he would.

~~

One week later

During the last few days, Rey had been doing her best to really get herself into the role that she would be playing so soon. She was really proud of herself that she still hadn't tipped off Kylo or anyone else on base about what was about to happen in a few short minutes, because the most anticipated day had finally arrived.

She had specifically chosen this day because she knew that Kylo would be attending another meeting, which meant that he wouldn't be able to give her all of his attention since he had to give his attention elsewhere. She figured that it would be the perfect time for her to catch him off guard when she would then purposely pass her emotions onto him out of nowhere, causing him to become momentarily alarmed before he would proceed to look into what was wrong with her, and that's when she would find out if all her planning and practicing this whole charade had actually been worth all the trouble she had gone through.

After a much needed pep talk with herself, Rey was now at the docking bay, waiting anxiously for Master Luke to come into view, but she wasn't expecting how she would feel as soon as her gaze fell upon him. And before she realized what she was doing she had already ran over to him, proceeding to throw her arms around him. "Master Luke! I have missed you so much!"

Luke was caught off guard by her sudden assault, causing him to stumble back a step, but he recovered in time to return her embrace with a subtle laugh. "I have missed you as well, Rey. But I also hope that you have been keeping up with your routine schedule whilst you've been here?"

Rey stepped out of his embrace as she hastily wiped her eyes, hoping he didn't notice that action before she nodded in answer to his question whilst an amused smile was displaying upon her lips in response to his not so subtle chiding tone that he always used when they had their training sessions. "Yes, I have, master."

"Good." Luke murmured as he nodded in an approving manner before he followed her to a more private location.

Rey had brought him to the area where she would both mediate and go through her training exercises at before she followed suit when he had taken a seat onto the floor, making sure to sit in front of him as she willed herself to stay calm as to not allow her emotions to get the best of her and alert Kylo on how anxious she suddenly had gotten, causing her to gain back her composure in a hasty manner in response to her being aware of his presence, and figured that he would be keeping an eye on her at any given chance even though he was supposed to have his full attention on the meeting he was in. She found it both amusing and kind of creepy that he was so infatuated with her.

Luke cleared his throat when he saw that she appeared to be lost in her thoughts before he instructed her to clear her mind and shut her eyes as he was about to glimpse into her mind in order to see how she had been doing with her training.

Rey tried to shield certain parts of her mind from her master as he gently pried through some of her memories, making her tense up a bit. She felt that he was pleased so far by how she had been making sure to keep up with their usual routine, making her feel a little too smug that she had managed to gain some approval from him, and that's what caused her to slip up. She didn't realize that he had prodded into her mind with more force, and in response to that sudden invasion, she had pushed him away a little too harshly. It hadn't been part of the plan for him to pry deeper into her mind, which is why that act alone had caused her to panic and briefly break her composure during their little theatrical performance.

Luke gasped aloud as he had no choice but to recoil from her mind altogether, making him stare at her in disbelief. "Are you trying to keep me from seeing something, Rey?"

She bit down on her lip as she carefully rose to her feet, trying her hardest to not meet his gaze, whilst also trying her best to not become anxious again since this current performance was essential for the plan. "No, I am not, master."

Luke followed suit and got up onto his feet, proceeding to step in front of her line of vision in order to grab her attention. "It is useless to lie to me. What is it that you don't want me to see?"

Rey tried not to show any emotion when she felt a reaction come from the bond, knowing that she had Kylo's full attention now, but instead she shook her head before she met Luke's gaze. "I'm ashamed that I have managed to slip-up whilst I've been away from your presence. I strayed away from the rules that the Jedi live by. I got too carried away one night with some of my new friends, and I am truly sorry for not following your strict orders."

Luke released a sigh before he closed the distance between them and placed a hand against her shoulder. "No one is perfect, Rey. And you are still so young that it's only natural that you make a minor mistake here and there, but I hope that you are now more centered after you've learned your lesson."

"Yes, of course. I've learned my lesson the hard way, and I do not wish to make any more mistakes." She replied in a solemn tone.

"I am glad to hear that. Now relax and I promise that we will be finished within a few short moments since you interrupted my earlier examination of your training exercises." He replied cooly.

Rey was confused by his words since she didn't remember this being part of their plan, and didn't have time to put up her defenses when all of the sudden she whimpered in response to him pushing his way back into her mind. It was too late to block anything from him, and the moment he recoiled from her so hastily she knew that he had seen everything that she had tried so hard to keep from him. She hadn't expected him to glimpse further into her mind than they had initially planned, but it was far too late.

Luke backed away from her with a look of horror showing upon his features from what he had just seen. He had been under the impression that Rey and Kylo had only gotten closer from a distance, but that turned out to be false, making him falter a bit as he went on to go off script due to his current emotions to this sudden revelation. "No. That can't be true."

Rey held out her hands in a defenseless manner as she took a step towards Luke, just as she felt that he was pulling away from her entirely, making her truly panic because she didn't want him to find out this way. "Please forgive me. I am so sorry that I have lied to you."

Luke raised a hand to motion for her to stop as he took another step back from her. "I can't forgive you for what you have done. You've betrayed us all by allowing yourself to be tainted by him."

Rey blinked back tears in response to both his words and how harshly he said them. "You have to believe me that I regret what I have done every single day. I can never take that moment back, but I promise that I will never let it happen again."

"I wish that I could believe you, but it's far too late. He has already left his mark on you. I can't take you on as my apprentice any longer." He said in a pained tone whilst he was trying his hardest to not let her know that even though he was severely disappointed by her actions that she had kept from him, that he was about to make this scene more dramatic with the hopes that by Kylo witnessing Rey's real distraught reaction that he would find this whole scenario to be completely true. And later he would allow himself to give into his sorrows for deceiving Rey in this way. He needed her to believe that he wanted nothing to do with her in order for her feelings to be genuine. But he promised soon he would let her know that he really hadn't given up on her even though he didn't approve of what she had done.

Rey froze as she took in what he was saying to her, making her choke back a sob when she fully understood the meaning of what was said. This would just be one more person that was rejecting her, and that mere revelation nearly broke her heart. She couldn't believe that this was actually happening. "You can't mean that! I need you to help me!"

Luke fought the urge to comfort her when he saw how hurt she was, but he just hoped that she would forgive him for what he was about to say in order to seal the deal. "It's far too late to help you, and I can't go through the pain that comes with knowing that I have failed another apprentice. Once was enough. I'm so sorry, Rey, but you can't return home with me."

Rey refused to let him see how much his words had affected her, causing her to wipe away her tears as she set her jaw into a stubborn stance. "If that's how you really feel then I promise that none of you will have to see me ever again." She didn't bother to allow him to answer, and instead she turned on her heel and made her way off towards her quarters whilst trying to keep her emotions bottled up as one final thought occurred to her. She would be damned if she didn't continue on with her initial plan even after how it had go so awry out of nowhere. It would have all been for nothing if she didn't force herself to finish going through with it. And that's exactly what she was going to do.

~~

Not long had passed since that incident, and too soon Rey was on a ship after she had acquired the basic necessitates that she needed in order to leave the base.

She didn't have a particular location in mind, but as soon as she calmed down enough she noticed that she was heading back to the same planet that she had been to not so long ago.

After she had landed as best as she could she finally allowed herself to listen to Kylo's pleas. He had been pestering her almost nonstop since her altercation with his uncle, but she had ignored him in order to stay focused on the task at hand.

 _Are you only reaching out to me just so you can gloat? Because I am not in the mood, so piss off._ She retorted in an impassive tone.

 _You must truly think I'm so entirely heartless. No, I do not have the need to gloat. I was merely concerned for you. Where are you?_ He replied with a slight edge to his tone in response to him being so riled up from what he had just witnessed, along with how she had closed off their bond rather harshly without giving him some type of warning.

Rey hugged her knees to her chest as she tried her best not to burst into tears as she relayed what had just happened. She hated that she allowed herself to care for people, because in the end, she knew she could only trust one person. Her own self. No one else. And with that in mind she gritted her teeth as she spoke in the same impassive tone. _I'm fine. There's no need for you to be concerned over me. I'll be out of everyone's way soon enough._

Kylo gritted his teeth as his fist collided with one of the walls of his bedroom, allowing him to bask in the feel of the pain that came with that action that only fueled his anger furthermore. _Dammit, Rey! Tell me where you are, and I will come get you immediately._

Rey winced when she felt the rush of anger that now flitted through her entire core, but what made it worse was that she too was experiencing the pain that had been afflicted against his hand. _Did you really need to do that? It's just one more thing for me to deal with. Now for the last time, would you kindly piss off!_

Kylo was beyond infuriated right now for two reasons. For one, his disgrace of an uncle had casted Rey aside as if she were nothing. Second, she was being her usual stubborn self and wouldn't tell him where she was. _Fine. If that's how you want to play this…_ He didn't bother to allow her to say anything and instead he forced himself to do the same exact thing that his uncle had done to her not so long ago. He invaded her mind before gritting his teeth once again in response to how much effort he had to put into this, but it was worth it because he was able to pinpoint exactly where she was. _Don't you dare leave. I'm coming now._

Rey had been expecting him to pry into her mind, and that's why she didn't put up much of a fight for too long with him because this was exactly what was supposed to happen, and with that in mind she settled into her seat furthermore as she waited his arrival.

~~

Luke's POV

"I think you were far too hard on her." Leia voiced in a distressed tone.

Luke sighed as he rubbed his hand over his face before meeting Leia's gaze. "Don't you think that I don't already know that? I didn't intend on lashing out on her as badly as I did, but when I saw the opportunity to do so, I had to. He needed to believe that what was happening was true, and Rey's reaction needed to be sincere. I admit that what I regrettably witnessed when I was skimming through her mind wasn't what I was expecting to see, but it helped to make my act all the more believable. But I'm now curious to know if you are aware of how really close they are to one another now?"

Leia was confused by what he was asking, making her brows furrow. "I only know of the bond they share. No thanks to you by the way, and to answer your question, no I do not. Now stop beating around the bush, and tell me what you mean by how close they are to one another?"

Luke pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a sigh before he gave her a knowing glance. "I think that you know what I mean by how /close/ they have gotten."

It took her a moment to understand what he was hinting at before she gasped aloud. "You can't mean that they…" She couldn't even finish her sentence with how shocked she was in that moment.

Luke simply nodded his head in answer to her question whilst he had to stop himself from grimacing in response to the rather vivid imagery he had seen. He knew that Rey didn't intend on showing him those private moments, but in his defense he hadn't expected her to be hiding something like that. He just hoped that she didn't believe what he had told her near the end of their conversation because he had just said that for the sake of the plan. In truth he was extremely proud of what she was setting out to do, and when the time was right, he would make sure she knew that.

Leia was still in disbelief with knowing that Rey and her son were involved with each other, but that just made the hope within her blossom even more. If it turned out that her son was still able to care for someone then she knew that there was a chance to get him back. "What do we do now?"

"We wait for her to check in with us when she can, and be prepared for anything in case this doesn't go as planned." Luke murmured in a hushed tone before he excused himself and retreated to the quarters he would be staying at, needing a moment alone to process everything that had just happened.

~~

Kylo's POV

He had immediately jumped into action as soon as he had a read on where a rather distressed Rey was located, causing him to noisily push away from the table as he rose up to his feet and started to make his way out of the room until he stopped in the doorway when he heard someone call out his name. The mere sound of that person's voice was enough to make his temper flare up.

"Where do you think you are going?" Hux voiced in an infuriated tone.

Kylo's hands curled into fists as he tried his best not to snap since he needed to keep a clear head for when he went for Rey, but Hux was testing him by lashing out at him in front of an audience. "It seems that everything has already been settled. And now I have other matters to attend to." He replied in a venomous tone.

"I am sure that Supreme Leader would be rather intrigued with knowing that his apprentice isn't taking these meetings as seriously as he should be." Hux sneered as he saw how still Kylo had suddenly gone.

The whole room went completely silent in response to the threat that Hux had just voiced, and within a moment, Kylo had managed to turn and cross the room to stand in front of Hux before his hand closed around his neck. "Careful, Hux. It almost sounded like you just threatened me. But upon my return if I even catch wind that you've gone behind my back to report to Supreme Leader about my absence, I will find you immediately and torture you in the most atrocious ways as possible, and I will make sure that the very last thing you witness as you take your last breath is me smirking down at you as I watch you die. Now nod if you fully understand what was just said." Kylo retorted in a malignant manner.

Hux's cheeks flushed a shade of scarlet in response to Kylo nearly choking him as well as from embarrassment. He was beyond infuriated that Kylo had threatened him in front of his men, and silently vowed to get back at him, but in the end he nodded in answer to Kylo's last request. And once he was released from his hold he gasped for air before he watched Kylo retreat out of the room.

Kylo was rather smug since he had finally been able to put Hux back in his place, and he really didn't care if he snitched on him, because he knew that he would willingly take any punishment this stunt would bring him. He only wanted to make sure that his Rey was always safe and happy.

That thought alone gave him the mindset that he needed as he then went on to make his way towards the hangar.

~~

Kylo was growing impatient as he had been making his way to Rey as fast as he could manage, but it still wasn't fast enough.

He had just landed his ship, and before he even exited the aircraft, he could already feel that the bond was so much stronger in response to how close they now were to one another.

His gaze immediately settled on her as soon as he exited his ship, but he hadn't expected to be hit so hard with multiple emotions that flowed straight from her into him. The strongest emotion that he was able to acknowledge before she closed her emotions off entirely was the feeling of abandonment. He was far too familiar with that feeling, and that's when he realized that they were so alike. They both had been abandoned at some point in their lives, but he wasn't going to allow her to be in pain for much longer.

~~

Rey's POV

Rey watched as he made his way towards her until he was just within her reach, causing her breathing to hitch up ever so slightly in response to the steady thrum of their bond that was now so strong in response to their closeness. She hadn't expected that his presence was going to affect her so much, and without her consent she felt traitorous tears beginning to pool in her eyes, causing her to blink them away, because it finally hit her that he had been the only one in her life to have kept his word and had come for her just as he had promised. And that alone was enough to awaken the hidden part of herself that had always wanted to be adored unconditionally, making her want to run into his arms, and have him tell her that everything was going to be alright. That mere thought alone had caused her to almost break her composure in order to act upon those feelings, but instead she forced herself to focus on what was to happen next. Because the outcome of this whole ordeal was a far greater importance than her feelings.

Kylo stilled when he witnessed that she was suddenly in the process of retrieving her lightsaber from her side, causing his hand to edge closer to his own, just in case he needed to defend himself. "What are you doing?"

Rey proceeded to toss her lightsaber at his feet before a subtle smile tugged at the corner of her mouth when she had finally come to terms with her next move. "It's quite obvious. I'm surrendering myself to the First Order."

 ** _A/N: I apologize for the long wait. I got quite busy out of nowhere, and didn't have a chance to edit until recently. I apologize for any errors. I tried to edit as best as I could, but I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please don't forget to leave comments. I'm curious to know what you guys predict is going to happen in the next chapter._**


	5. chapter 5

Kylo's POV

He suddenly went still when he heard her response, causing him to veil his emotions in a hasty manner to not allow her to sense what he was feeling at the moment. He more than desperately wanted to believe that she was willing to finally join forces with him and the First Order, but he couldn't help but wonder if this was all just a ruse because it seemed too good to be true. With that current mindset, he inclined his head to the side just a bit, narrowing his eyes in her direction. "Exactly how am I supposed to believe that you are telling the truth? For all I know this could just be a trap." It wasn't until he had spoken his last remark that he allowed himself to reach out with the force in order to sense if it was just the both of them in this area, not wanting to be caught off guard by any of her fellow comrades. And when he couldn't get a read on anyone else being present besides themselves, he felt himself relax. There was no threat at the moment, but that didn't stop him from taking another step of precaution, making him extend his hand out as he felt the tendrils of the force flowing through him as he willed it to obey him, and within a moment Rey's lightsaber was within his grasp, allowing him to place it onto his weapons belt next to his own.

"Are you really going to continue to make me speak to you while you're wearing that?" She motioned her hand in the direction of his helmet that he was currently wearing, but in reality she was trying to buy herself some time as she tried to think of a convincing answer to reply to him with.

Kylo refrained from sighing as he obliged by her request, lifting his hands up towards his helmet where he found the hidden switch that unlatched his helmet with a subtle hiss before he removed the helmet altogether, dropping it onto the ground with a loud thud. "Feel free to now continue on with what you were going to say." He noted in a placid tone.

Rey had been unprepared to say the least as soon as his face was exposed to her. It had been a while since she had fully seen him in all his glory, not counting the dream versions of him that she witnessed countless times. Those didn't give him any justice. She should probably be disgusted with the fact that she found him to be so attractive, but it was hard not to notice his rather charming ways, and the lure of his darkened gaze that was currently burning into her wasn't helping the matter as she embarrassingly was all but drooling over him as she got lost in her mind. She shook those thoughts aside as she cleared her throat before she spoke, making sure to hold his gaze as she did so. "I don't expect you to believe me right away, but I do hope that you will at least hear why I have chosen to join forces with you. I suspect that the only reason you even came here to see me was in response at witnessing what happened between myself, and your uncle. So, it shouldn't have come as a surprise to you when I just told you that I'm willingly going to give myself up. I have nowhere else to go, and it took just those few short minutes with your uncle for me to fully see that the Resistance isn't like how they made themselves out to be. They toss away people as if they were merely a piece of trash, and I now see that I have sided with the wrong people. I don't want to associate myself with the weak anymore, so I am leaving my fate in your hands. If you don't want to bring me with you then I will have no choice but to fend for myself as I have done for most of my life." Rey almost winced in response to thinking that she may have overdone it with what she said, but she just hoped that she had done enough, and that Kylo would believe every word that was just said.

He was taken aback as he listened to her every word, feeling her emotions hit him with such force as she practically poured her heart out to him near the end of her speech, but that didn't stop him from clenching his jaw when he happened to recall that she basically referred to herself as trash in response to how his uncle disposed of her, along with her stating that she was prepared to leave everyone behind and start another life elsewhere. How could she possibly think that he would just abandon her in her time of need. And against his better judgement he allowed himself to do the unthinkable as he let out a defeated sigh. "I won't lie and say that what waits for you back at where I currently reside is going to be pleasant, because it won't be. There will be those that will want to harm you, and even test your limits, and I can't promise that I'll always be available to help you during those times. But the most crucial thing to be aware of is that once the Supreme Leader is aware of you joining our forces, there will be no turning back. He will demand that you be trained as harshly as I have been trained, and there's no way in knowing what he will have planned for you. So, with all of that being said do you still wish to come with me?" A part of him wanted for her to change her mind in order to flee and get away from anyone in order to keep herself safe, but the more greedy part of himself was hoping so desperately that she would agree to come with him, because he couldn't bear the thought of not having her in his life anymore. She left her mark on him already, and there was no way that he would ever turn his back on her. That revelation alone had made him feel a rush of terror pass throw him. He had never been afraid since being brought under Supreme Leader's wing until now. And it was because of her. He knew that if he lost her that it would wound him so deeply.

Rey sucked in a breath when she caught just a glimpse of how he was feeling in that moment, causing her to attempt to remain calm as to not allow him to know that she had felt anything, and instead she held her head up high, setting her jaw in a stubborn stance before speaking in a stalwart manner. "I've made my decision. I will come with you, and deal with any consequences that come with making this major decision."

A slight smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he extended his hand out towards her as he relished in the feel of relief that she ended up choosing the option that would allow him to always be so close to her, and hopefully with time she would finally see things his way. "It's time to take you to your new home."

~~

Rey's POV

The flight back to the Finalizer was awkward to say the least. She had insisted that she be allowed to bring the few belongings she had brought with her before they even taken off, which to her amusement had irritated Kylo until he finally gave into her request.

But it wasn't until they were halfway to their destination that it started to hit her that she had actually agreed to join forces with the ones that she had sworn to help defeat not too long ago. That thought made her a little queasy, making her squirm in her seat.

Kylo peered over in Rey's direction in response to seeing movement from his peripheral vision, and immediately noticed a change in her demeanor. "Are you having second thoughts?"

Her hazel optics rolled skywards as his words had brought a flare of irritation to pass through her in response to her hating that he had noticed that she was doubting herself. "No, I'm not. I just wish that you would let me take over so we can get to our destination much faster. You're flying like an old man, and I'd like to make it our destination before I die from boredom." She retorted with a sassy attitude.

Kylo's grip tightened on the wheel in response to both her attitude and words, making him take a calming breath before he even thought about replying to her. "Are you that eager to throw yourself to the wolves? Because I know for a fact that you wouldn't last a minute out on your own there without having me beside you to protect you."

Rey scoffed as she crossed her arms over her chest whilst narrowing her eyes in his direction. "I'm not some damsel in distress. I don't /need/ you to protect me. I can take care of myself."

Kylo snorted as he spared her one more glance, noticing that she was getting all riled up, which amused him. "I guess we will just have to wait and see if your words prove to be true." He stated in an impassive tone before he set the ship on autopilot before he got up from his seat, making his way over to where she was sitting and proceeded to hold out his hand.

Rey shifted in her seat as soon as she noticed that he was making his way over to her, causing her to become all defensive as she peered up at him. "What are you doing?"

Kylo refrained from smirking when he couldn't help but notice how she was reacting to how close he now was to her. "You mentioned that you were bored, so I figured that I could help distract you for a while."

Rey arched a brow as she tried to think of what he could possibly mean by that statement, but not even a moment had passed when he then gave her a knowing look, causing her to scoff once again. "As if I'd go along with whatever foul thing you have just come up with. I'll stick to the option of dying out of boredom. Thanks for you offer though."

Kylo let his arm fall back to his side before he shrugged in a nonchalant manner. "Alright, suit yourself. I'll be resting in the back if you need me." He noted with ease before he turned his back on her and stalked off towards his quarters.

Rey was left dumbfounded that he hadn't put up a fight and try to persuade her to go along with his charade, and had instead given up so easily. Was it bad that she felt a little hurt that he didn't even try? She shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts before she got back into her stubborn ways and tried to make herself comfortable on the seat in order to take advantage of this private moment in order to meditate since she knew she needed to find her center before they landed at that dreadful place. And with that current mindset, she allowed herself to prepare to get into a tranquil-like state in order to mediate, but as she relaxed her mind she couldn't help but notice that Kylo was currently sulking in his quarters, making her lips twitch as she fought back the urge to laugh whilst the ship continued to make its way towards their current destination.

~~

Rey didn't know how much time had passed when she suddenly opened her eyes when she felt the bond respond to Kylo making his way back to her, causing her to sit properly in the seat as she awaited his arrival.

Kylo took his seat without saying anything to her, proceeding to take the ship off autopilot as he prepared himself to land. "You should know that you will most likely be treated as a prisoner after we exit the ship. That will be temporary of course, but I will try my best to make sure that I'll be in charge of watching over you until you eventually prove that we can trust you to be left unsupervised. That's if you want me to be the one. I can't promise that anyone will be as lenient as I have been with you if you choose to have someone else assigned to you." He inwardly cursed at himself since he couldn't help but notice that he sounded like he was almost desperate for her approval for him to continue to look out for her whilst she was staying here.

Rey had to cough in order to hide her laugh in response to his not so subtle words, and she hated to admit that it was sort of cute when he got all flustered, but there was no way she was going to ever admit that aloud. So instead she shrugged as if she was unfazed by what he just said. "I already figured that I would be under someone's supervision. It doesn't really matter to me if you want to be the one to watch over me or if you decide to have someone else do that job. I'm sure you have better things to do rather than watch over a puny scavenger." She said in a nonchalant manner whilst she pretended to be examining her fingernails, knowing deep down that even if she didn't want him to watch over her that he would make the decision for her because he wouldn't want anyone to be near her. Knowing that fact alone made her feel rather smug since she already knew him so well. That was essential in order to fully succeed with the rest of her plan.

Kylo couldn't help but feel a little hurt when it seemed as if she wanted nothing to do with him all of the sudden, but that feeling passed when he realized that she was purposely messing with him, which caused him to grit his teeth out of annoyance as he ignored her altogether as he now concentrated on landing the ship into its properly place in the hangar.

~~

Rey had been acting all high and mighty just a few moments ago, but as soon as she exited the ship alongside Kylo, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous to be back in the midst of all of these people. The last time she had been in the presence of some of his fellow comrades, she had been luckily unconscious for most of the time, so she didn't have to deal with seeing anyone, but this time was different. She felt everyone staring at her as she walked in a brisk pace with her companion, making her try her best to keep a blank expression as she held her head up high and kept her gaze settled upon the area in front of her.

So far they hadn't been stopped as they made their way to wherever Kylo was taking her, and she was thankful for that. It wasn't until they turned down a corridor that they both came to an abrupt halt as they were met with an individual that appeared to be currently glaring at Kylo.

"Oh, how nice of you to finally grace us with your presence, Ren. I see that your mysterious absence ended with you bringing that traitor directly back to where we reside. I hope you know what you have just done." Hux retorted with a venomous lilt to his words.

Rey's eyes widened in shock as she heard the way this person was speaking to Kylo, making her actually feel bad as she assumed the worst was going to happen to them, but that didn't stop her from getting a good look at them. She noted that the way this man was both dressed and carrying himself made him appear to be some sort of authoritative figure here. Her hazel optics skimmed along his features, noting his semi alluring beryl optics, and knowing that under different circumstances he could be considered rather handsome, but soon she had to rid herself of those thoughts when she felt a sudden change in her bond-mate, causing her to hastily avert her gaze from the man altogether after that. It wasn't worth the risk of facing Kylo's wrath when she wasn't in the right mindset at the moment.

Kylo wasn't surprised by Hux's outburst, but it wasn't until he spoke of Rey in such a disrespectful manner that he felt his anger beginning to flare up, making him try to behave since Rey was here, but it wasn't until he noticed her sudden interest in Hux that caused him to officially snap. "Now isn't the time to voice your opinions about what I choose to do with my spare time, General. Now step aside and let us pass. I have matters to attend to before I have a word with our mutual Superior." Kylo voiced in a malignant tone.

Hux clenched his jaw out of irritation as his gaze shifted between Kylo and the scavenger girl before he stepped aside for them to pass, knowing that if things got out of hand right now that the incident would be reported to the Supreme Leader, which would only make things worse for him than they already were since his Superior had allowed Kylo to do as he pleased. He just had to wait for the perfect moment to prove to Snoke that his apprentice wasn't as loyal as he tried to appear to be. That thought alone was enough for him to keep his mouth shut.

Kylo motioned for Rey to walk ahead of himself, but right when Hux was already making his way down the corridor, Kylo cleared his throat. "Oh, I almost forgot to mention one last thing, General. I hope that I don't find out that you have broken your most recent promise because those consequences that I warned you about will happen indefinitely. You may now go off to attend to your flock."

Rey bristled a bit when she couldn't help but notice the subtle threat that was laced in Kylo's words, and just as she even dared to peek behind her to see the General's reaction, she felt a hand press against her back, urging her to keep walking. She looked up at Kylo as she arched a brow in a curious manner, but it wasn't until she got a good look at him that she realized belatedly that he had his helmet back on, so she wouldn't be able to see how he was peering down at her. She refrained from letting out a sigh in response to hating when he wore that thing because she could never tell how he would react to certain things whilst he wore it. She didn't think it was fair that he got to see her reactions so clearly.

Kylo felt that she was slightly agitated out of nowhere, causing him to be curious enough to peer into her mind, and what he noticed made him smirk in an amused manner as he kept his hand on her lower back whilst he escorted her down another corridor until they stopped outside a room. He removed his hand from her back in order to remove his glove before he walked towards the door, extending his now bare hand out towards the scanner that was beside the door, placing his hand against it.

Rey hated to admit that she missed his touch almost immediately, making her squash that feeling down before she allowed the emotions that she locked away to resurface. She couldn't afford to let her emotions get the best of her and ruin the work she had done so far in order to get where she was. She looked up when she heard the door slide open, watching as Kylo beckoned her to walk inside the room, and she willingly obliged by his request, taking a few hesitant steps into the darkened room until the lights suddenly flickered on, making her blink multiple times to adjust to the new lighting, but she froze as soon as she realized where he had taken her, causing her to turn around as the only thought that came to mind was for her to flee out of the room, but it was too late. She watched as the door slid shut and Kylo was now standing in front of it, blocking her way out, but even she knew that it wouldn't be so simple to exit this room, knowing deep down that it probably required his handprint or code, which almost made her roll her eyes out of annoyance.

"Please make yourself at home." He replied in a solemn manner before he smirked in response to how coy she appeared to be right now.

Rey huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest before she set her jaw in a defiant manner. "Are you going to keep that ridiculous thing on all the time?"

Kylo reached up to press down onto a hidden switch in order to remove his helmet, setting it aside before his gaze settled upon hers. "There it is off. Are you content now?"

"Oh, yes, I'm so ecstatic that you brought me directly to your dungeon. Don't you have certain quarters for prisoners?" Rey replied in a haughty manner, refusing to break her composure when she was now able to fully see his face once again, hating how she immediately felt whenever that happened.

His brow arched as he took a hesitant step towards her, making sure to watch out for her reaction as he did so, and he was immediately aware of how her breathing changed as he came closer to her, making him almost smirk as he let the bond tell him what he needed to know since she was trying her hardest to not show him any reaction. "Do you want to be thrown into one of our prison cells? They're quite small and filthy. It is no place for a guest of mine."

She stayed still as he began to circle around her, trying to remain calm even though she could feel the warmth that was radiating off of him with how close he was to her. _Dammit, Rey! Get ahold of yourself._ She inwardly chided at herself. "Why did you really bring me here to this room?"

Kylo shrugged as he came to an abrupt stop at her side, reaching his hand out to allow his fingers to trail down her arm, feeling satisfied when he felt her shiver in response to his subtle touch. "I figured that you would be more comfortable staying in this familiar room while your assigned room is currently being set up for your stay."

Rey bit the inside of her lip hard to stop herself from reacting more in response to his fingers caressing her skin. "Well, I hope that means that you're going to go stay somewhere else. Because there's no way that I'm sharing a room with you."

His fingers trailed further down her arm until his fingers clasped her hand, whilst the corner of his mouth tugged up into a cheeky grin. "Is my mere presence too much for you to bear?"

Rey smacked his hand away before she took a step back from him, narrowing her eyes into slits. "Don't you dare touch me. Just because I came here willingly doesn't mean I also signed up to instantly become your property. Nothing is going to happen between us."

He wasn't buying what she was saying, but he decided it was better if he backed off for a while since he didn't want to risk pushing her away from him, but that didn't mean that he couldn't have some fun in the meantime by messing with her. He then held up his hands in what he hoped to be a defenseless manner. "Alright, I'll try and behave myself. But as for your last remark… I think we both know that your restraint isn't as pristine as you'd hoped it to be. A certain reckless incident of yours proves that entirely." He said in a cheeky manner before he turned his back on her, stalking off towards the opposite side of the room, removing items of his clothing as he did so before tossing them aside.

Rey's jaw nearly dropped when he just blatantly called her out just like that, making her curl her hands into fists as she tried to calm herself down before she allowed herself to smack him right on his smug face. It wasn't until he started to remove some of his clothing that she suddenly squeaked and turned around in order to not see anything, forgetting that she was even upset with him, due to being caught off guard by his current actions.

Kylo laughed softly when he heard her squeak as he was in the process of making his way towards the bathroom, and just after he had slipped within the room he poked his head out to call out to her. "I'm going to take a quick shower, but you're more than welcome to come join me if you want."

Rey was beyond baffled by his words, making her pinch the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "He is going to be the death of me." She murmured to herself just as she heard the bathroom door slide shut. It was going to be a long night.

She waited until she heard the water being turned on before she started to walk around the room, whilst telling herself that she was only allowing herself to be so nosy in order to get to know her current target better, which made her feel a little better as she noticed that everything seemed to appear to be the same since she had seen the room in the dream they both shared. Except for one thing.

She noticed there was another door, making her curiosity reach its peak as she went towards it, and was surprised that it opened right away in response to her presence, but she didn't expect to see that the room appeared to serve as some sort of entertainment room. She noted a couch along with other miscellaneous objects until her gaze settled upon a particular bookshelf. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw just how many books filled the spaces of each shelf. The pads of her fingers trailed against the spines of some books as she was in awe that she was able to be in the presence of so many books that she hadn't even realized that she wasn't alone anymore.

"Do you like to read?"

Rey jumped in alarm as her hand flew to her mouth as she choked back a scream in response to his husky tone coming out of nowhere. "Jeez! Don't sneak up on people like that!" She retorted in a slightly breathless manner as she turned around to face him, but she didn't expect to see him practically naked. She tried to avert her gaze as quickly as she could, but it was too late. That mere image of him standing in the doorway dripping wet with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist was burned into her mind.

Kylo feigned innocence as he tried to keep a blank expression upon his face as he watched as she appeared to go from being completely calm to being all flustered. "Are you alright? I just wanted to let you know that the shower is free for you to use."

"Uh… T-thanks. I think I'll take that shower now." She inwardly cursed at herself when she had stammered out her reply, making her cheeks flush a shade of crimson as she forced herself to cross the room, trying to not meet his gaze, but it was hard not to when he wouldn't move away from the entryway.

Kylo knew his current appearance was having an affect on her, but it was just too amusing for him to stop so soon since he knew that he was still able to get her so worked up easily. "Do you need me to show you how everything works in there?"

Rey refused to allow him to see her all worked up over him, making her gather up the courage to look up at him as she forced a smile upon her lips. "No, that's okay. I'm sure I can figure it out on my own. Thank you for the offer though." She had the satisfaction of seeing his innocent façade waver for a moment before he stepped out of her way, allowing her to make her way over towards the bathroom. Once she had put enough space between them she let out a sigh of relief since she had been able to keep her hormones in check because she could not afford another slip-up, and with that thought in mind she managed to remember to bring her small knapsack in the bathroom with her, and once she was safely locked in the bathroom she allowed herself to relax.

She set her knapsack onto the counter before she rummaged inside it, removing a tank top, panties, and pajama shorts before she closed the bag. She turned her attention back on the room, finally giving herself the time to marvel over how spacious it was. She was also surprised that so far it seemed that the First Order rather indulged themselves with such materialistic things, but what shocked her the most was the array of products that Kylo had neatly aligned on a shelf beside both the bathtub and shower, making her refrain from laughing in response to her hunch of him being so conceited was finally proven. There was so many products to chose from that she decided it couldn't hurt if she allowed herself to take advantage of this situation and take a much needed bath in order to put multiple of those items to good use, and that's exactly what she did.

~~

Rey felt completely relaxed as she exited the bathroom, carrying her few belongings as she did so before she proceeded to place her things neatly in an unoccupied space, whilst being unaware of the current presence that was now looming from behind her.

"I thought I was going to have to come in there and rescue you. You were taking so long that I couldn't help but assume that you had possibly drowned." He noted dryly.

Rey turned to face a rather disheveled-looking Kylo, making her silently wonder if he had napped whilst she was in the bathroom. She then placed a coltish grin upon her lips as she looked up at him. "Awe that's so sweet that you worried that something happened to me. But as you can see I'm okay."

"Yes, I now see that you're more than okay. I assume that you enjoyed your shower?" He couldn't help but notice that he could now smell his favorite body wash that was now pleasantly lingering upon her skin, loving how it mixed perfectly with her own scent that already drove him wild, which now made him try his best to fight back the urge to just grab her and throw her onto his bed like he wanted to do as soon as he first brought her to his quarters.

"I actually enjoyed a much needed bath instead. I hope you don't mind that I helped myself to some of your things." She noted coolly as she tried to not notice the way he was now looking at her, making her try to avoid meeting his gaze as best as she could.

A sudden image of her in the bathtub flitted through his mind almost immediately, causing him to take a deep breath as he shook his head in order to get that image out of his mind. "It's getting late. We should get to bed now." He didn't wait for her reply and instead strode over towards his bed, needing to put some space between them in order to get himself back into check since he knew that he needed to patient with her, because he couldn't risk her not being able to trust him. It was that thought alone that allowed him to calmly proceed on with pulling back the bedding, but when he noticed that she hadn't followed suit, he looked over at her with a questioning look upon his face. "Aren't you going to come to bed?"

"There is no way that I'm sleeping right next to you." She retorted as she was trying not to let him know that the mere thought of getting cozy with him on that bed was almost making her panic.

Kylo arched a brow as he held her gaze. "And where exactly do you expect to sleep if you refuse to come sleep in my bed? Are you really that worried that you won't be able to keep your hands off of me?" His last words came out with a playful lilt to them.

Rey snorted in response to his comment. "More like you won't be able to keep your hands to yourself. Just go to bed already. I will just sleep on the couch. There problem solved."

"I have to warn you that it gets pretty chilly in the room, so don't come crying to me in the middle of night when you start to freeze." He noted in the same playful manner before he shrugged and climbed into bed.

Rey rolled her eyes as she started to make her way towards the other room. "I'll be fine. I've handled worst situations before." She murmured more to herself.

"Goodnight, Rey." He called out to her as he shut off the bedroom light, smirking to himself as he knew that only time would tell if she could really handle the cold as she assumed she could.

Rey didn't bother to reply to him as she reluctantly tried to make herself comfy on the couch, feeling grateful that there seemed to be a throw blanket within reach. She snatched it off the back of the couch and placed it over herself as she pinched her eyes shut and tried to fall asleep.

~~

Kylo's POV

He hadn't been able to fall asleep with knowing that she was so miserable in the next room. As he stated earlier, the entire room had gotten rather chilly during the night, and as expected he could feel through the bond that she was a shivering mess. It was taking all of his willpower to not just go into the room and carry her back to his bed.

And as if she heard his thoughts, he heard the sound of a door sliding open before he heard the soft footfalls of her feet against the floor. He had to try his hardest to not make a sound as he made it seem like he was dead asleep even when he felt the bed dip down in response to her climbing onto it. It wasn't until she got under the covers that he finally lost it.

Rey stilled as she felt the bed begin to shake, and it took her a moment to figure out why that was happening since she was so delirious by this point from the lack of sleep. But once she knew that he was indeed not asleep and was in fact full on laughing at her it made her let out a huff as she pulled the blanket from him, wrapping it around herself as best as she could manage.

"Did someone get a little too cold?" He inquired after his laughing fit dulled to a complete stop.

"Shut up, and go to sleep!" She exclaimed as she pulled her knees to her chest as she shivered uncontrollably, whilst she was trying her best to keep warm.

Kylo knew that he shouldn't be teasing her so unmercifully, making him feel a little bad, which is why he turned onto his side before he pulled her against his bare chest and wrapped his arm around her waist.

Rey squeaked when she suddenly was pulled against him, making her squirm against his hold, but her attempts at trying to break free were useless. And if she had to be honest with herself, she didn't want to fight it anymore, making her settle against him more as she basked in the feel of the warmth emitting from him. "I still hate you."

"I know you do. But it's time to go to sleep, Rey. You have a big day ahead of you. So rest up." He voiced in a hushed tone as he felt himself finally relax as he held her.

Rey didn't have the energy to say anything to him as she was overcome with a yawn before her eyes closed on their own accord as she finally succumbed to a deep sleep.


	6. chapter 6

Kylo's POV

He jolted awake in bed, attempting to catch his breath in response to a sudden intrusion within his mind that had caused him to awaken from the best slumber he had been so grateful to have gotten.

It was that last thought that made him remember the reason why he had managed to actually quiet his mind enough and finally catch up on some much needed sleep, it was due to the person lying next to him, but as he peered down at Rey's sleeping form he realized that she had turned in the middle of the night and was now facing him, and much to his amusement she was all but lying on top of him. That mere image alone was enough to allow a genuine smile settle upon his lips.

That's when he went completely still, because it was in this moment that it was truly clear to him that he actually cared about someone. It had been so long that he had felt these mundane-like feelings, and if he had to be honest it made him want to panic. He knew that if his feelings for her were noticed by Supreme Leader that he would use this weakness against him, and he would be damned if anything should happen to her, causing him to hold her against him even more as his free hand reached out to brush away some stray strands of hair that managed to cover her face before his fingers trailed down against her cheek as he marveled over her delicate features. She seemed so peaceful in this moment that it made his throat constrict in response to a wave of emotions that flowed through him. He knew he didn't deserve to have her, but now that they were finally together in the same room again, it was too hard to picture his life without her in it.

It wasn't until he ran the pad of his thumb across her cheek that his breathing faltered when she began to stir in her sleep in response to his touch, but when a moment passed and she remained asleep, he withdrew the breath he was holding before he had to gently pry himself from her altogether, because he knew that if he took too long that Supreme Leader would attempt to contact him again, and he didn't want to risk him knowing about Rey's current presence like this.

After he was able to get out of bed carefully, he made sure to cover her with the blanket before he strode off to get ready for the day, whilst trying to get back into his right mindset in order to pull off his next task. He just hoped that everything went as planned, and no one got in his way in the process.

But there was just two quick things that he had to do before he went off to face the inevitable.

~~

It didn't take him long to reach his destination, but as soon as he realized that there were two other people in the room, his jaw clenched out of annoyance as he made it a point to not glance in Hux or Phasma's way, and instead looked straight ahead.

Not even a moment had passed when the projection of Supreme Leader was now towering over them all, causing them to bow as they acknowledged his presence.

"How nice of you to finally join us, Kylo Ren. I have heard tales of your recent endeavors revolving around the scavenger, and it has even been rumored that you have brought her to this particular location. Do you deny any of this?" Supreme Leader stated in an authoritative manner.

Kylo refrained from reacting to his words as his fists clenched at his sides, whilst he kept his mind clear even though he wanted nothing more than to think of the ways he was going to torture the person that sold him out, but instead he managed to speak in a steady tone. "I do not deny anything. I have brought her back with me after she has made it clear that she has broken all ties to the Resistance."

"And you decided to believe her meaningless words, and didn't care to think of the risks of going through with this careless action of yours would bring to all of us, due to you wanting to only bed her!" Supreme Leader roared as his gaze was intently upon him.

Kylo was glad that his helmet was on because he had flinched in response to Supreme Leader's final remark, but that didn't stop him from speaking through gritted teeth a moment later. "I have valid proof that her thoughts of the Resistance have changed when the one she cared for had betrayed her by turning their back on her. She reached out to me, declaring that she is willing to join us, and be allowed to properly finish her training."

"We shall see if this is all true when she is brought to me, but for now I will settle with viewing this information directly from you." He stated in the same authoritative manner before he easily brushed into his apprentice's mind.

Kylo only had a split second to shield certain moments between himself and Rey before he felt his master pry into his mind, making him grit his teeth more in response to how forceful he was, and having to watch the scene of his Uncle and Rey wasn't helping the matter, but soon he was able to catch his breath as he felt his master retreat out of his mind altogether.

A baleful-like smirk settled upon his mouth. "Very interesting. I want her training to begin immediately, and within a months time I want her brought to me, and I hope for your sake, Kylo that she lives up to her promise of aiding us."

"You can't seriously be fine with her staying here! She could be a spy for all we know!" Hux retorted in disbelief, but soon he regretted his sudden outburst when he saw such a menacing look cross over Supreme Leader's features.

"How dare you doubt my choices after what I have just witnessed from my apprentice! Do you think that I am some kind of fool? Or that I am not going to take certain precautions in order to make sure that she will not betray us at any moment? Because if that's so then I hope you are ready for the repercussions that come with what you have just said."

Hux was frozen in place as a flush of scarlet displayed upon his face in response to being chided in front of witnesses. "That is not what I meant! Please forgive me, Supreme Leader. I did not intend to offend you. I merely wanted to acknowledge the fact that we know nothing of her, and for all we know she could still be in contact with one of them." He stammered out.

Kylo had to stop himself from reacting to Hux's rather embarrassing apology, and for feeling slightly better that he wasn't the only who got all but chided by Supreme Leader.

"I will look past this moment just this once, but if you ever speak out of line again, you will regret it." Snoke stated in a venomous tone before his gaze landed upon Phasma. "Now as for you, Captain. I want you to find the scavenger, while I have a word with my apprentice. Make sure that she is fully acquainted with the whereabouts of the Finalizer, looked over by a physician, and given a proper room. Keep her restrained if needed, and make sure that she is in good shape for her training tomorrow, and if you succeed with that task then I will see to it that you are at the top of my list if I ever need to replace the current General."

Captain Phasma bowed as she felt honored for being given this important task, but she couldn't help but notice the way Hux reacted to the final words of their leader. "I am grateful for this task that you have given me, and I vow that I will make your proud." She stated in a steady manner before she exited the room.

Kylo had surprisingly kept quiet even though he wasn't pleased with the fact that Rey was going to be under the watch of someone else, but he was also slightly relieved that it had been Phasma that had been chosen to look after her instead of Hux.

"Your presence is not needed anymore, General." Snoke stated as he waved him off, waiting until he left before his gaze settled back upon Kylo. "It is time that you disclose those secrets of yours that you've tried to shield from me that revolve around that scavenger girl that has managed to get under your skin."

Rey's POV

She knew that he was gone as soon as she woke up, but that didn't stop her from instinctively reaching out through the force, following the thread that bond them together until she was able to pinpoint his location, which wasn't too far from her. That little knowledge helped settle her nerves since she still wasn't too familair with her current surroundings.

It wasn't until she had fully woken up that she was able to now see that there was a note placed on his pillow, making her arch a brow in a curious manner before she reached out to take hold of it before she attempted to read it in the dimly lit room.

 _I apologize for not being here when you wake up, but I had to attend to some things. Breakfast will be brought to you shortly, and I will return to you as soon as I can._ _-Kylo_

She almost felt like she should slap herself to make sure she was actually awake, because she couldn't believe that he had actually apologized for his absence, but soon her shock turned into annoyance when she saw the postscript at the bottom where he stated that he left clothes for her to wear, claiming that he didn't want her to feel out of place, which only made her roll her eyes before she got out of bed and went on to go through her morning routine.

Not long had passed after she reluctantly changed into the all black attire he had left for her, which didn't come as a surprise to her that it was that shade of color, because she recalled when he let it slip that he would love to see her dressed in the same way he always did. She did have to give him some props for guessing her size right for the outfit and boots, but soon that was the last of her worries when she heard the door of his room slid open, making her tense up as she waited to see who it was.

She immediately felt a sense of relief when her gaze fell upon two service Droids that each were carrying trays, and walked past her in order to set them down onto the table before they each left before she even had the chance to thank them. Curiosity got the best of her as she strode over towards the table, ignoring the sound of the door closing behind her as she went on to remove each lid from each plate, revealing various amounts of food.

She had never had so much food at her disposal, even when she was back at the Resistance she only ate what she needed in order to stay satisfied, but never took advantage since she was grateful that they had given her a room and fed her.

She shook those thoughts aside, not wanting to ruin her appetite with remembering her last moments there, and instead she began to nibble on some food from each plate, savoring every last bit of it.

~~

After she was well fed, and had nothing else to do in the room, she felt her mind drifting back to her earlier thoughts, making her chest constrict as she couldn't help but think of her two best friends.

She had left them each a note in her room before she left, hoping that some day they would forgive her for what she had done, and just as if on cue she felt a familiar sensation at the back of her mind. She initially thought it was Kylo who was checking on her since she wasn't sure if she had been masking her feelings completely, but it took her a moment to fully grasp that it wasn't him at all. It was someone else.

She choked back a gasp as she shook her head in disbelief, willing herself to not freak out as she tried to gently close her bond enough that Kylo wouldn't sense anything was wrong with her, and hopefully just assume that she was mad that she was left locked away in this room. _Luke?_

 _Oh, Rey, you have no idea how relieved I am to hear from you. Are you alright? Where are you?_

Rey was still too stunned to even process his words right away, making her clasp her hands tightly in her lap as she basked in the familiar voice of her former Master. He hadn't abandoned her at all as she assumed he had.

Luke sighed softly in response to her reluctance to even speak to him. _I know we don't have much time, but I need you to listen to me carefully. I didn't mean what I said to you near the ending of our conversation. I hope you can forgive me for what I have done, but I needed to make you both believe that I had lost faith in you entirely. And I want you to know that I'm extremely proud of you for what you are doing._

Rey didn't even know that she was crying until she felt her tears fall onto her hands as she sniffed softly. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, but she knew deep down that he meant what he said, and it was those words that made her focus on her plan. But before she could even answer any of his questions, she needed to be sure of one thing. _Does this mean that I can still be your apprentice?_

A half-strangled laugh forced its way past his lips as he shook his head in disbelief when that was the first thing that had come out of her mouth after his confession. _Yes, you are still my apprentice, and I'm happy to know that you are still the same girl I've grown to care for. Now please concentrate on the matter at hand._

Rey wiped away her tears as a look of determination crossed over her features before she went on to catch him up on what had happened so far, making sure to listen carefully to any tips he could give her before they had to part ways.

~~

Rey got up onto her feet when she heard the door open a while later, revealing an authoritative figure that was flanked by Stormtroopers, making her hold her head up high as she willed herself to stay calm and remember the words that her master had just spoken to her, using that to keep her centered.

"So, you're the one who has caused such a ruckus around here." Phasma noted dryly as she inclined her head to the side as her gaze flickered along Rey's entire form, trying to see just why anyone had any interest with this ordinary girl.

Rey should have felt a little self-conscious under each one of their stares since she could practically feel their gazes burning into her entire being along with their emotions that they were graciously projecting towards her a little too loudly, but instead she was left feeling annoyed in response to the slight tinge of animosity that was radiating off the one that had spoken to her. She had to concentrate on blocking them out since they were each projecting their thoughts so loudly that she couldn't concentrate, and once her mind was back to its original state, she arched a brow as spoke in solemn manner. "Who might you be? Did Kylo send you here?"

Phasma was never more grateful for the fact that her helmet was shielding her face in response to Kylo being mentioned, which only reminded her of all the mayhem that was caused just because of the person that so happened to be standing in front of her, causing her to clench her teeth out of irritation. "It does not matter who sent me, but you will address me as Captain or Captain Phasma from now on. I am under strict orders to help you get settled in, and I hope that you will do as you are told. Do you understand?" Phasma retorted in a stern manner.

Rey refrained from rolling her eyes and making a smart remark like she normally would have done in response to people trying to order her around, but instead she managed to remain calm and do the unthinkable. "I apologize for questioning your actions, and for not addressing you by your proper title. I hope to get better acquainted with how things are run here, and I promise that I will do my best to do whatever is asked of me." She almost winced when she thought she laid it on a little too thickly with that apology, and it didn't help that she was getting bombarded with their mixed emotions, causing her to force their thoughts out of her mind once again, making her bite down on her lip as she did so.

Phasma was shocked to say the least. She had been expecting the scavenger would retaliate, based off of what she heard had happened during the time she was kept prisoner, but that didn't stop her from thinking that this could be some sort of fake façade. It was that thought alone that made her make a mental note to really keep her eye on this girl. "Enough with this useless commentary. Step forward slowly with your hands held out in front of you in order for one of my men to place restraints around your wrists. I assure you that this will only happen for a short period of time until you've proven that you are trustworthy."

Rey nodded her head in compliance as she did as she was told, but that didn't stop her from almost grimacing when the restraints bit into her skin harshly in response to one of the Stormtrooper's placing the handcuffs on too tightly before she was shoved roughly, making her stumble a few steps forward as she was then ordered to follow after Phasma down the corridor, but that didn't stop her from looking over her shoulder to narrow her eyes in the direction of the one who had manhandled her.

~~

Rey made sure to pay attention to every little detail of her relatively short tour of the Finalizer, adding each newly discovered area to the mental map she had already made for future purposes. It kind of amused her with knowing that they had only shown her certain parts of the ship, making sure to keep the sections that needed higher clearance out of her sight even though it was quite foolish since she could easily pry those locations out of their minds if she needed to, but she thought it was better to keep that information to herself. So, instead she attempted to seem impressed when she was shown a training room, cafeteria, lounge area, and various other common areas. But the two locations that managed to peek some interest out of her were the training room, and the room that was used by engineers, which made her yearn to be able to get back into her normal routine instead of being kept in a room all day.

She reluctantly had to shake those thoughts aside in order to keep herself focused on attempting to appear as if she were listening to Phasma's continuous dialogue, making sure to give simple replies or nod her head when it was suited, but even though she was mostly tuning Phasma out, she couldn't help but take notice that today the atmosphere was completely different than the other times she had been out and about here. The corridors were filled with chatter of those that they crossed paths with along with the repetitive noises of ships coming and going along with the surprisingly advanced industrial appliances that were in the hands of the First Order.

But it wasn't until they stopped outside a particular door that she felt a wave of uneasiness flow through her as if she knew that what resided behind it wasn't going to be pretty, and as if on cue she watched as Phasma turned around to face her men.

"You will all stand guard outside this door until further notice." Phasma waited until everyone voiced their compliance before she inclined her head in the direction of Rey and beckoned her forward before she reached out to press a button on the panel that rested beside the door, causing it to slide open.

Rey drew in a calming breath before she stepped through the now open door, feeling the presence of Phasma just at her heels as her hazel optics surveyed the room thoroughly until it dawned on her that she was in what appeared to be a medical room, causing her to almost stop dead in her tracks. "Why are we here?" She retorted with a curious lilt to her words just as she witnessed a woman come over to greet them along with a Droid that was walking alongside her. It surprised her to take notice that upon her tour she witnessed a number of women that were working here, which baffled her since she couldn't recall noticing any on her last visit, but then again her stay during that time wasn't too long. She made a mental to ask Kylo about this.

Phasma ignored Rey's question altogether as she brushed past her in order to stand in front of the doctor. "She needs a general examination to make sure she is healthy, and has the okay to be able to begin training. I need her results and thorough report on her full examination sent directly to me after you are finished."

The doctor nodded meekly as she attempted to not show any reaction to the Captain's cold demeanor. "Yes, of course, Captain."

Phasma turned around to face Rey as she retrieved a set of keys. "Hold out your hands for me."

Rey had been too caught off guard with what she just heard that she didn't even fully process what Phasma had just said until she noticed the set of keys in her hand, making her catch on quickly in order to slowly hold her hands out in front of her, watching as Phasma unlocked the cuffs in a quick fashion. She nearly groaned with relief as soon as her wrists were free, allowing her to finally feel some sort of sensation in her hands now. She rubbed at the tender skin gently before she flicked her gaze up to look at Phasma when she heard her clear her throat.

"I have other matters to attend to at the moment, and I hope I do not have to warn you of the repercussions that will surely happen if you chose to try anything stupid upon my absence." Phasma stated with a slight threatening lilt to her words.

"Yes, I understand, Captain." Rey replied smoothly before she watched Phasma give her a stern nod before she left the room.

"May I see your wrists?" The doctor inquired in an amiable manner as soon as the coast was clear.

Rey arched a brow as she was a little thrown off with how kind the doctor was acting, but with a slight shrug of her shoulder she allowed her to take hold of her hand, trying to not wince when she pressed the pads of her fingers against her tender flesh.

The doctor shook her head with a frown as she gently released her hold on Rey's hand. "They shouldn't have placed the restraints on too tightly. You will most likely have bruises in the morning, but if the pain bothers you too much, I can give you something that should help soothe it."

Rey shook her head as the corner of her mouth tugged up into a subtle smile in response to his genuine concern for her. "Thank you, but that won't be necessary. I've had worse injuries before."

The doctor nodded her head as a smile settled upon his lips. "If you change your mind, you know where to find me." She held out her hand for the droid to pass her a clipboard and pen so she could proceed on with the task at hand. "Shall we begin?"

Rey refrained from sighing as she went on to take a seat and answered a serious of personal questions before she was allowed a private moment to change into a more suitable article of clothing for the worst part of the whole ordeal. She had never felt this exposed before, but she was glad that the doctor was a women, because if it had been a man… Well it would have been more awkward.

She was suddenly pulled from her inner thoughts when she noticed the doctor was trying to grab her attention to let her know that the worst part of the examination was over and she was able to get cleaned up and dressed before she was able to leave.

~~

It didn't surprise her when her restraints were immediately placed back on before she was all but manhandled by the same Stormtrooper once again as they made their way back to her temporary room, allowing her to gather her belongings. Which wasn't easy since her restraints were kept on, whilst her two companions weren't being so subtle with their amusement at watching her struggle, causing her to try and keep her anger at bay since she didn't want to lash out at them and give everyone the satisfaction of her proving that they were right that she couldn't be trusted.

It was that thought alone that gave her the right mindset as she held her head up high, keeping her bag in her grasp and she brushed past them both and exited the room, waiting in the corridor for further instructions as she listened to the door close behind her before she was nudged forward. She was just starting to walk down the corridor when she felt a hand grasp her arm harshly, pulling her to a stop before she was tugged over towards a door that happened to be directly across the room she had just exited. It was then that she almost groaned since it just became obvious that Kylo wouldn't want her to be kept too far from her as she hoped.

The Stormtrooper let go of her arm in order to press multiple buttons on the panel before he motioned for Rey to enter the room. "Welcome to your new room. You will stay here until Ren decides to come and play with his little pet." The Stormtrooper retorted with slight amusement before they motioned towards their companion to come remove the restraints from her.

Rey was glad that she hadn't been facing them because she was seething by this point in response to those words that managed to get a rise out of her, making her grit her teeth as she attempted to calm herself down. Is that what everyone assumed she was to him? She shook her head to clear her mind, not wanting to allow them the satisfaction of seeing that they managed to get a reaction out of her, and instead she dropped her bag onto the floor just before a Stormtrooper came into her line of vision, yanking her wrists by the restraints before they unlocked the handcuffs altogether. She rubbed her sore wrists, keeping her gaze averted from them, and just as she thought they were about to leave, she felt them grasp her arm, tugging her towards them, which caused her to narrow her eyes as she peered up at them. "It would be wise of you to let go of me." She snapped as she tried to yank her arm out of their grasp.

"You're not in the position to be giving orders. You're just a common whore who happened to catch the attention of one of my superiors, and once he's had his fun with you then perhaps he will let us have a go at you before he puts you out of your misery."

Rey sucked in a breath as she all but flinched in response to those cruel words, and just as she was about to maneuver her way out of their hold in order to kick the living daylights out of this idiot, they all froze in response to a new presence in the room.

"I believe that you owe Rey an apology." Kylo replied in a virulent manner.

Rey was frozen in shock in the center of the room as she felt the full power emitting from Kylo as he was all but fuming by this point, which almost made her feel bad for these two poor souls that were about to face the wrath of their superior, but deep down she was almost hoping that he would give them some sort of punishment for how she was treated by them, and for what vulgar things were said about her. It was that baneful way of thinking that made her realize that Kylo's anger was managing to seep into her with such ease, but she didn't dare try to push him out, because she didn't want to upset him further, so instead she went against her better judgment and stepped around the Stormtrooper in order to look over at Kylo. "I actually had everything under control before you showed up." She replied in the best haughty manner as she could manage.

Both Stormtroopers stood at attention under their superiors presence, but only one had the balls to speak. "Sir, we were just escorting the prisoner back to her quarters. That is all."

Kylo's fists curled at his sides when this fool had the audacity to try and lie to his face, but he wasn't going to tip them off on the plans that he now had for them both, so instead he waved a dismissive hand in their direction. "Your services are not needed any longer. You may both take your leave now."

Rey's jaw almost dropped as she witnessed both men leave the room when she was so sure that Kylo was going to release his infamous wrath upon them both, but instead she was left alone in her quarters with him, whilst she couldn't ignore the severity of his emotions that were radiating off of him before she watched as he reached up to remove his helmet. She hoped he didn't notice her breathing hitch up ever so slightly in response to finally being able to settle her gaze upon his face, and how she felt the steady hum of their bond that had paced itself to the beating of her heart as she watched him start to make his way over towards her, making her take a hesitant step back. "Don't come any closer."

Kylo refrained from sighing and instead stopped his attempts of getting any closer to her. "Alright, I'll stay put."

Rey eyed him suspiciously before she felt herself relax just a tad bit when it appeared that he was going to keep to his word. "What are you doing here?"

Kylo arched a brow in response to her question. "I was on my way here to ask you to have dinner with me, but as you can see, I got a little sidetracked in response to the scene I happened to walk into." He replied smoothly as he tried not to react once again to that reminder of what just occurred, because it was true that he was on his way to her room with the intentions of inviting her to dinner, but when he felt a rise of panic travel through the bond to him, those intentions went out the window as he then rushed to come to her aid.

Rey blinked in confusion as she stupidly stammered out the first thing that came to her mind. "Dinner?"

The corner of Kylo's mouth twitched as an amused smirk threatened to play at his lips. "You know the meal that comes after lunch…" He replied with a slight teasing note to his words.

Rey rolled her eyes to the heavens as she crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring the protests of her sore wrists in the process. "I know what dinner is. I was just confused as to why you would even invite me to eat with you. It's not like we are friends. We are merely acquaintances at best."

Kylo fought back the urge to laugh in response to her haughty attitude as he raised his hands in a defenseless manner just to rile her up even more since he could tell that she was getting annoyed with his teasing. "Whoa there is no need for such hostility. I was only stating the obvious since you made it appear that you didn't know what I meant, but I can't say that it doesn't hurt less that you would brush off my request so easily and deny that we seem to be past the basic friend status."

Rey quirked a brow as she took in what he said, and instead of trying to reason with him that they were anything to each other, she decided to ask something that had been bothering her ever since they had been left alone. "May I ask you something?"

Kylo shrugged a shoulder in a nonchalant manner, whilst trying to not seem annoyed that she had brushed off their previous conversation, making him make a mental note to bring it up again when the timing was more appropriate. "Of course. What is it that you want to know?"

Rey chewed on her lip as she tried to think of a way to properly word what she was wanting to ask as she was aware of his lingering gaze that wasn't helping. "Why did you allow those soldiers to leave without any sort of punishment?"

A malignant smirk curved his lips upon hearing her question. "I never said that they weren't going to be punished. I just led them to believe that they were free to go, but as soon as they walked out the door they were apprehended at once and were escorted directly to their cells. And I hope that word will spread of what will happen to them shortly, so everyone will know to not ever threaten or mistreat you again."

If Rey thought she was shocked when he hadn't killed them on the spot, well she was even more shocked by what he disclosed to her, but that didn't stop a shiver from traveling down her spine at the mere thought of what was going to happen to them behind closed doors. It was after that thought that she felt the need to defend her honor, because she didn't need a man to come to her rescue, even though a part of her had been relieved that he had come to her aid at the right moment. "You didn't need to do that. I could have taken care of them both by myself."

Kylo nodded in agreement to her words as he tried to get a read on what she was thinking in that moment, but instead he came in contact with the wall she had settled in between them, which shouldn't have surprised him. "I know that you could have dealt with them on your own, but it surprises me that you allowed them to mistreat you at all."

Rey shrugged as she averted her gaze elsewhere. "I didn't want to do the very thing that everyone is expecting of me. I heard what they all thought of me as I was forced to go on that dreadful tour with Phasma and her goons, and I knew that if I lashed out at anyone that I'd just be the traitor that they all expected me to be instead of showing that I am anything but that." Rey tried not to tense as she silently prayed that he would take her statement to be true, and as if on cue she heard him make his way over towards her before he lifted her chin up to meet his gaze. Her breathing faltered as she peered into his obsidian hues as her pulse quickened.

"We will prove to them that you are not one to be doubted. I promise you that." He noted sternly before he leaned down to press a chaste kiss against her forehead.

Rey knew she shouldn't give into the instinct of allowing herself to be caught up in the moment as he showed her that he believed in her so much, but it became useless to fight the urge to allow him to comfort her. So, instead she allowed him to wrap his arms around her as she rested her cheek against his chest. "What do we do now?"

He rested his face against the top of her head as he held her against him as gently as he could manage as he basked in the newly found emotions that came with this simple act. "Well for starters, I think that you should really take up my offer on dinner, since I'm more than positive that almost everyone on the ship can hear your stomach rumbling with how ravenous you appear to be." He said in a playful manner as he held her tightly when she then tried to wriggle out from his hold.

"You're such an ass! You always manage to ruin a perfect moment…. Not that I was enjoying this at all." She inwardly sighed as she even realized she failed to even convince herself that she hadn't been enjoying when he was trying to comfort her, but soon she was left feeling annoyed when she felt his silent laughter rather than hear it as his chest rose up and down against her cheek, which only caused her to huff as she had no choice but to wait for him to fully regain his composure, but that didn't stop her from voicing her infamous line that even she started to doubt was true. "I seriously hate you."

Kylo shook his head as his laughter slowly died down as he loosened his hold on her just a tiny bit. "You just keep telling yourself that, but we both know that you actually love me." He stated with humor.

Rey balked as she managed to pull out of his grasp, feeling her cheeks flush a shade of scarlet as she looked up at him in disbelief. "I do not!"

Kylo sneered before he reached out to ruffle her hair before he managed to move back in time before she smacked his hand away. "It's alright to admit that you're so smitten by me. You won't be the first nor the last woman to swoon over me."

 _That cocky son of a bitch!_ She inwardly exclaimed as she watched him make his way over towards her bedroom door where he unlocked it with a few quick presses against the touchscreen of the panel before he had the audacity to flash her a quick wink before he strode out of the room entirely, leaving Rey to throw her hands up in frustration as she tried to think over her next move, and not even a moment had passed when she heard her stomach rumble in response to her lack of food throughout the day, which only proved that he was right that she was starving.

"I heard that." He retorted in an amused manner.

"I am going to kill him one of these days!" Rey hissed under her breath before she reluctantly found herself striding out of the door and heading directly into the lion's den.

 ** _This chapter wasn't too exciting, but I promise that things will pick up soon. I just wanted to focus on Rey's time getting acquainted with her temporary home as well as her presence finally being known by Snoke. I hope to be able to update much quicker._**


	7. chapter 7

Any final snide remarks that Rey had intended to say upon entering the room had died at the tip of her tongue as soon as she took in her current surroundings. The room appeared to have undergone such a subtle change since the last time she had been here, but it was enough to make it seem as though she had mistakenly walked into the wrong room, which is how she soon found herself stopping dead in her tracks with a sudden look of awe flashing along her features for a split second before she managed to veil her emotions immediately as to not allow Kylo to have the satisfaction of seeing that he had actually surprised her as she went on to continue with admiring the little setup that Kylo most likely had instructed some poor individual to do during some point of the day.

The thought of him using his authority for the sole purpose of having someone else do his dirty work shouldn't have come as such of a surprise to her since she was so sure that he had never lifted a finger in his entire life to do such mundane things, because he was probably so used to being catered to ever since he had come into this world, and it most likely was due to the rather important fact that it was because he came from a royal line. That mere fact was enough to further emphasize how different they truly were from one another, and that should have been enough to squash any fantasies she regretfully had recently of them being more than just acquaintances to one another, but of course her mind and heart were not on the same page when it came to that whole ordeal.

She shook her head as she forced herself to push those thoughts aside, knowing that now wasn't the proper time to dwell on such things that were out of her control for the time being, and with that in mind, Rey proceeded to make her way further into the room until she stopped just in front of a dining room table, allowing the pads of her digits to carefully skim across the table as she admired the handiwork that was done in what seemed to appear so elegant in her eyes. The setup of the table, consisted of lit candles, an array of the most gorgeous flowers she had ever seen that were intended to be the centerpiece, and last but certainly not least there were multiple plates that each were covered with a lid to conceal what food had been selected for this particular evening. She had been so caught up in the moment that she hadn't heard nor felt Kylo's presence from behind her until he cleared his throat out of nowhere, making her let out a squeak as her hand flew up to rest against her chest. "By the Gods… Don't you know it's not polite to sneak up on people!" She replied in a breathless manner as she turned around to shoot him a glare in response to being annoyed that he had caught her by surprise when she unintentionally left her guard down for a brief moment.

Kylo choked back a laugh in response to her rather adorable outburst as well as take notice of the slight color that was now displayed along her cheeks, which only made her even more desirable in his eyes if he had to be completely honest with himself, and it was that thought alone that reminded him that he needed to keep himself in line in order to be able to impress her with a nice evening instead of teasing her like he most certainly would have on any given day, but it was a little difficult to do so when it had been so easy to take her by surprise even though she should have been expecting his presence after she dared to follow him into his room after all. "Allow me to help you get seated properly so we can eat." He retorted in a gentle tone before he closed the distance between them both, proceeding to carefully slide a chair away from the table, and motioned for her to come take a seat.

Rey arched a brow in a questioning manner as she watched his movements closely before she attempted to seem unfazed with how kind he was being right now, making her believe for a moment that she was dreaming, but when she saw his subtle hand movement to signal her to sit she shook away her internal thoughts and complied to his subtle request. "Uh… Thank you." She inwardly sighed in response to how lame that even sounded to her, but she didn't have time to dwell over that when she watched as he then took a seat in front of her after he helped her get settled properly.

Kylo snapped his fingers to signal for some service droids to come forward to attend to them both, whilst keeping his gaze settled upon Rey as the droids went on to place napkins onto their laps before they went on to remove the lids from each of the plates that were resting in the center of the table before he waited for them to finally take their leave, and not even a moment had fully passed when they were finally alone that he witnessed the look of astonishment that suddenly crossed over Rey's features, which made him almost sigh in relief with knowing that he did well with arranging this last minute dinner, but it wasn't until this moment that he felt his composure slip just briefly, because he hated to admit that he suddenly felt nervous since he had never done anything like this before for anyone. "Please, help yourself to a little of everything."

"Is there some kind of special occasion that I wasn't aware of?" Rey inquired in a slightly curious manner as she waited until he began to serve himself some food so she could follow suit since she believed it was the only polite thing to do.

Kylo poured two glasses of wine after he served himself some food, placing one glass in front of her before he shrugged a shoulder in a neutral manner in response to her question. "No, there isn't some kind of special occasion. I just thought it was only right to have a nice dinner to make you feel more comfortable here." He lied smoothly, because there was no way that he was ready to disclose the true reason why this little gathering had been devised so hastly.

Rey wasn't a so-called expert with how gatherings were supposed to be amongst friends or colleagues, but this dinner vibe was anything but casual in her eyes. It also wasn't helping that she was beginning to receive waves of mixed emotions from Kylo that were making her all but squirm in her seat, especially when his burning gaze was settled upon her, making her clear her throat as she tried to keep herself as calm as possible as to not allow him to read her emotions in this moment as well. "Oh, well that was surprisingly kind of you to do."

Kylo shrugged off her compliment as he tried his best not to react to the weird sensation that came with noticing that she seemed genuinely impressed by his subtle act of kindness since he wasn't used to people showing him any type of gratitude. He attempted to clear his head from his internal thoughts and instead picked up his glass of wine, holding it out towards her. "Let's properly acknowledge your new beginning here."

Rey bit down on her lip as she contemplated over the idea of indulging herself with a little bit of wine as she regretfully remembered the last time she dabbled with drinking alcohol, but in the end she convinced herself that it would be rude to decline, so against her better judgement she picked up her glass of wine as well. "To a new start." She murmured before she carefully clinked her wine glass with his before she took a sip.

One glass of wine shouldn't affect her at all, right? Or rather that's what she was trying to convince herself before they both began to dig into their food.

~~

Several glasses of wine later, and minimal amount of chit-chat here and there that mostly consisted of what they had each done during the day, Rey now found herself relishing in the feel of her current buzz from the alcohol she had consumed as she savored the last bite of food that she scraped onto her fork before she set the fork down onto the empty plate, proceeding to pick up a napkin to wipe her mouth clean as she peered through her lashes in time to see Kylo finishing up the last of his food as well. She almost felt like giving herself a pat on the back for successfully remembering to use the etiquette techniques that were shown to her by her master throughout the entire dinner, but soon the silence in the room was beginning to make it quite awkward and she didn't know if that was the main reason why she was about to blurt out the first thing that came to her mind so suddenly to fill the silence in the room or if it had to do with the fact that she had help from the liquid courage that was running through her from the last few glasses of wine she had by her own choice that was about to allow her to ask him something that had been on her mind earlier in the day. "Have there always been a lot of women who have working positions here?"

Kylo was slightly puzzled by her sudden question, making him set his fork down as he then looked over at Rey with an arched brow as he tried to think of why she would be inquiring about that. "Yes, there have always been women that have worked here. Why the sudden interest about that topic?"

Rey shrugged her shoulder as she took a quick sip of her current glass of wine to give her time to think of how to go about this conversation since she so stupidly brought up this topic to begin with. "I was just curious since I don't recall seeing any women on my first visit here until I had my tour today and noticed a few that I happened to pass by."

The corner of Kylo's mouth tugged up into a coltish smirk when a sudden thought passed through his mind after hearing her response. "There's no need for you to be jealous, Rey."

Rey had been in the process of taking another sip of her wine, and nearly choked when she heard what was said. "What made you think that I would be jealous about some female peers?"

Kylo smirked furthermore in response to how defensive she sounded as he held her steady gaze. "I assure you that I only have my eyes set on one particular individual, so there's no need to get all defensive when it's now so clear that you're afraid of a little competition." He replied in teasing manner before he had the pleasure of seeing a shocked expression flash over her features before she narrowed her eyes at him.

Rey couldn't help but scoff as she felt herself becoming slightly annoyed all of the sudden. "I am not jealous. Nor am I worried about competing with anyone over you. I'd happily allow anyone to have you all to themselves if that meant that you would finally give me some breathing room." She retorted in what she hoped was in a haughty manner since she couldn't help but feel a little pang of emotion flow through her at the thought of seeing him with someone else, but there was no way that she was going to disclose that information to him.

"Sure. You just keep telling yourself that." He replied in a sly tone before he flashed her wink, just before the room of his quarters slid open, revealing the same service droids that had been in the room just a while ago.

Rey was thankful for the droids coming in when they had because she didn't even know how to respond to him when he was acting all arrogant as usual. She watched as the droids removed the plates from the table, leaving only one in the center before they left the room entirely. It was then that she was already in the process of getting out of her seat when she heard Kylo say her name, making her release an exasperated sigh as she reluctantly met his gaze. "Yes?"

"Aren't you going to stay for dessert?" He didn't bother to wait for her reply as he removed the lid from the plate to unveil what was underneath it.

Rey blinked in confusion in response to him trying to feed her more food when she felt as if she was going to explode with all of the food she had eaten just a short while ago, and just as she was going to decline his offer she caught sight of the chocolatey goodness that was now in front of her. Well, she couldn't just let this delicious dessert go to waste, right? "Fine. I'll stay for just a little while longer, but then I'd like to go back to my quarters to get some rest for tomorrow's training."

"Of course. That's a reasonable request." He tried his best to not smirk in a smug manner when he managed to buy himself more time with her when he had specifically asked for this particular dessert since he knew it was Rey's favorite.

Rey picked up the new utensil that one of the droids left behind for her to use before she took a piece of the chocolate molten cake, making sure to also scoop up a little bit of the ice cream that was beside it, and as soon as those contents hit her tongue it took all of her willpower to not let out a moan in response to how delicious this dessert was.

Kylo watched her every move as he only took a spoonful or two of the cake as to allow her to enjoy the rest of the dessert on her own, and to his surprise she had so brazenly chugged the rest of her wine in a not so lady-like manner afterwards, which he found amusing. "I take it that you enjoyed the dessert?"

Rey had lost count of how many glasses of wine she had by this point as she set her empty glass down before she peered over at him, ignoring his question altogether as she was now too busy with the task of studying his features, finding that he was looking rather attractive under this lighting. She was so lost in her thoughts as she was all but undressing him with her eyes, and the way he was currently looking at her as she went on to greedily lick the last of the chocolate from her spoon wasn't helping. She set aside the spoon when she suddenly felt self-conscious as his burning gaze was making her clench her thighs together tightly as she attempted to ignore the way her traitorous body was responding to his mere presence.

Kylo's gaze drifted away from her lips to meet her gaze when her rather subtle act of licking her spoon completely clean shouldn't have affected him as it had, but the lewd side of him happened to find that innocent act enticing to say the least, which only made him think of just what she could do with that alluring mouth of hers, and it was then that he noticed that she had a little smudge along the corner of her mouth which gave him an idea. "You have some chocolate on you." He replied in a rough tone as he then reached across the table to wipe the corner of her mouth clean with his thumb, and had all the intention on savoring that last bit of chocolate that had been resting on her lips that he didn't expect what was to happen next.

Rey didn't have time to feel embarrassed when he pointed out that she had chocolate on the corner of her mouth, and she also didn't expect herself to be so bold as to take hold of his hand to keep it in place as she flicked the tip of her tongue against the pad of his finger to lap up the chocolate he had just wiped away, proceeding to teasingly nip at his finger before she let go of his hand entirely in a hasty manner as she felt her cheeks warm when she realized what she had done, and just to make matters worse she heard Kylo's sharp intake of breath as his fervid gaze was settled onto her, making her squeeze her thighs together furthermore in an attempt to ignore the dull ache that was coming from her nether regions along with the unmistakable pool of wetness that was making its presence very well known. She knew it had been so long since her last coital act with him or anyone else for the matter, but she didn't expect her body to betray her in this moment, because she was damn sure that he was able to sense how aroused she was as she was now well aware of how much he was with the help of their bond.

Kylo was well aware of the fact that he was now straining through his trousers in an almost painful manner by this point, and it didn't help the matter when he could tell that Rey was just as worked up as him. One moment he had been seated in his chair and in the next moment he had suddenly risen up to his feet, and was now stalking over towards her.

Rey felt a rush of panic flow through her entire being as she rose up from her seat so quickly, causing her chair to knock over onto the floor as the thought of fleeing had come to her mind almost immediately, but soon her exit route was blocked by his towering frame, which left her no choice but to look up at him. She fought back the urge to gasp aloud when she was met with the intensity of his burning gaze, and before she realized what was going to happen it was too late. Her breathing hitched up ever so slightly as he cupped her face in a tentative manner before he leaned down towards her in a painstakingly slow manner, but their lips didn't meet as she had been anticipating. Instead he was giving her the chance to either go through with this or tell him to back off. Her mind was so fuzzy in this moment as she was in the process of trying to decide her next move, but it wasn't until she felt him starting to pull away from her because she had stayed quiet and motionless for too long that she finally made up her mind. She pressed her lips against his in an almost clumsy manner as she then stood on her tip-toes, and proceeded to wrap her arms around his neck to keep him in place as her lips brushed against his in a tender manner.

Kylo was taken aback by her next action, but he managed to respond eagerly, whilst attempting to suppress the urge to groan as he returned her kiss with just as much passion as his hands found their way to grip her waist, pulling her flush against him.

Rey bit down on his lower lip as her fingers laced themselves in his darkened mane as a shiver of delight traveled down her spine in response to one of his hands beginning to wander lower until he gave her ass a rough squeeze, and just as the thought of going any further passed through her mind, the sound of door opening, caused her to break their kiss as she all but sprang away from him as if she had been shocked, and in that moment she so desperately wished that she had worn her hair down to be able to hide the fact that her face was completely red by this point, but she was also never more than relived for a sudden interruption then she was right now, because she knew deep down that if they hadn't been disturbed that she would have ended up in bed with him. She wanted that to happen so badly in this moment, but she knew that she wasn't here for personal interests. She was here for far more serious reasons, and that thought alone was enough to sober her up a little as she stepped aside to allow the service droids to clear the table, but she couldn't help but sneak a peek in Kylo's direction, and it was then that she noticed a particular expression flash along his features, which was followed by a wave of pain before she both felt and witnessed him veiling his emotions from her. That action alone was enough to make her chest ache as she forced herself to avert her gaze before she cleared her throat to grab his attention before she spoke in a hushed tone. "I think I should really go now."

Kylo took in a deep breath to calm himself as to not give into the urge of destroying the droids that had dared to interrupt his moment with Rey, and it didn't help with the fact that he was still slightly bothered by the fact that Rey made it seem as though she was ashamed that the droids had caught them in the middle of an intimate moment together. It took all his willpower to put his feelings aside, because he didn't want to spoil their night, and instead he wanted to prove to her that he had been trying to control his acts of rage ever since they had been getting closer to one another, which is why he was proud of himself when he went on to allow the droids to handle their last task and exit the room before he heard Rey say something to him, making him avert his gaze back onto her as he proceeded to nod in answer to what she had stated. "Of course. I'll walk you out to your room."

Rey stilled as she witnessed Kylo closing the distance between them once again, making her chew on her lower lip before she shook her head. "No, that's okay. I can find my way there on my own just fine."

The corner of his mouth tugged up into an amused grin to his utter surprise in response to her words as he walked past her and went on to open the door of his room before he stepped aside and motioned for her to go out first. "I know that you could make it to your room by yourself, but you forgot that you still don't have access to opening any rooms just yet."

Rey almost blushed again when she had indeed almost forgotten about that little problem, and instead she rolled her eyes as if she was annoyed by that little fact before she forced an amused smirk upon her lips as she looked over at him. "I expect that I will never earn that luxury since I know how damn possessive you are, so you want to make sure that you will always have to escort me to my room." She retorted with humor laced in her words before she stalked off towards her room.

Kylo was glad that her haughty attitude was back into play since it allowed himself to calm down a bit more, and not allow him to be able to fret about what just happened. "I could try and deny your claims, but it would just be a lie. Plus, I have to make sure that you don't go on and throw yourself at anyone on your way to your room. Since you happen to have the bad habit of doing so." He said with a playful lilt as he followed after her, making sure to not check her out as he went on to brush past her in order to open her door.

Rey scoffed as she glared over in his direction. "I do not throw myself at everyone!" She exclaimed before she stalked past him because there was no way that she could be in his presence much longer if he was just going to ruin their evening by testing her patience.

A hint of a smirk played at his lips as he watched her walk past him in order to go to her room, waiting until she looked back at him before he gave her a knowing look. "I find that hard to believe since I've witnessed that act happen first hand."

Rey huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to back down from this current argument even though it was clear that neither of them were going to win it. "That was only one time, and I blame that on you. You were practically begging me to do it through the bond."

Kylo shrugged as if unfazed by her words as he went on to speak in a calm and collected manner that even surprised himself. "Let's just agree to disagree then. Enjoy the rest of your night, and make sure to get enough rest. Your training begins early in the morning."

Rey was able to put their minor disagreement aside for the moment as she went on to inwardly sigh in relief as she heard the good news. She had been feeling restless with being cooped up in a room for far too long that she felt her current irritation pass as she gave him a brief nod. "I'll be ready."

"Goodnight, Rey." He retorted before he began to retreat from her door.

"Goodnight, Kylo." Rey stated as she was about to press a button on the keypad that would shut her door, but she stopped as soon as she heard Kylo call out to her. "Yes?"

"I just wanted you to know that I look forward to teaching you many things throughout your stay here, and that I also look forward to our next date that I definitely plan on making happen real soon. Sweet dreams, Rey." He retorted as casually as he could manage before he turned around in time to hide his amusement when he sensed her reaction to his words just as he entered his own room.

 _A date!? No. That's not what tonight had been!_ Or rather that was what she was going to tell herself since she didn't think she could deal with the fact that she had allowed herself to fall into a trap. She couldn't believe how stupid she was to think that he would invite her to a simple dinner and that it wouldn't affect the status of their current relationship. They were merely acquaintances at best. That's it.

That last thought alone gave her the right mindset to continue to stalk off into her room and make her way towards the bathroom, discarding of her clothes as she did so, whilst trying to ignore the fact that all the signs that should have alerted her to the fact that the dinner was meant to be something else had been right in front of her face the entire evening.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_ She grumbled as she went on to take a long and much needed shower.

~~

Rey emerged from the bathroom feeling much calmer than she could have thought was possible as she tried to towel dry her hair as best as she could manage before she placed the now damp towel down on something to allow it to air dry before she padded off towards where her bed was now awaiting her. The mere thought of curling up under the covers was so pleasing to her, especially after the very eventful day she had managed to survive through. It wasn't until after she pulled the covers back and intended to switch off the lights that she caught sight of something new resting on the bedside table.

The flowers she had been admiring in Kylo's quarters were now resting on the table in the same vase as she had seen them in not so long ago. She should have been infuriated with the fact that he had come into her room while she was showering, but against all odds, Rey felt a wave of amusement flow through her instead in response to giving him props for having the guts to leave her this parting gift even with knowing what could've happened if she had caught him in the act.

It was that almost comical thought alone that made the corner of her mouth tug up into a slight smile as she leaned forward, closing her eyes briefly as she inhaled the lovely scent from the flowers before she forced herself to take a step back in order to reach out to switch off the lights before she proceeded to climb into bed, allowing herself to enjoy the sensation of the subtle flutter in the depths of her belly in response to the realization that this had been the first real touching gift that she had ever gotten from someone that she may or may not have sincere feelings for. Only time would tell what was to happen after this.

~~

The following morning had started off just like any other day except for the fact that Rey actually had something to look forward to.

The thought of finally being able to do some sort of physical activity had her all but flinging herself out of bed as she went on to throw off the blankets before she padded off towards the bathroom to take a quick shower that she hoped would help wake her fully.

Not too long after she emerged from the bathroom did she go on to begin to rifle through her fully stocked closet, settling upon wearing the usual attire she chose for her training sessions, and made sure her hair was in a neat bun before she found herself wandering around the room as she tried to kill some time, whilst she waited for someone to come escort her to where she would be training at.

Just as she was beginning to grow restless with each passing moment, she spun around on her heel when she heard her door being opened, making her hold her head up high as she kept a blank expression as she waited for her company to walk further into the room. She wasn't surprised to see that it appeared to be several Stormtroopers that had been tasked to escort her, and soon she found herself striding forward in response to one of them giving her a curt order. What she hadn't been expecting though was how she noticed that none of them dared to speak to her or even attempt to be too close to her, which made her quirk a brow as she followed after the supposed leader of the group as she attempted to keep her senses on high alert as she surveyed her surroundings.

It wasn't until they rounded a particular corner that she finally realized where they were, recalling this area during her brief tour around the Finalizer. Her attention was back on the Stormtrooper that had spoken to her earlier when he told her to enter the room they stopped at. She gave him a nod of compliance as she kept reminding herself that she needed to be cordial with everyone in order to gain their trust and hopefully wouldn't have to deal with having to be heavily monitored all the time. It was that thought alone that gave her a slight wave of hope for that day to come soon as she then took notice that they had stopped at the cafeteria. The thought of having a cup of coffee almost made Rey let out a sigh of relief, but to her surprise she made sure to not show any emotion as she attempted to ignore the fact that someone was still shadowing her as she made her way to the front of the cafeteria with the hopes of getting her caffeine fix.

Rey was hyper aware of the lingering stares she was currently receiving as she went about getting a tray before she went to stand in line with the few others that were in front of her, which gave her time to see what was being given out. Everything that was laid out in front of her was all too appealing to her empty stomach, but she knew that she needed to have something light before her training, making her settle upon some porridge that she went on to add some fixings to before she all but rejoiced as soon as her gaze settled upon a small setup towards the side that was used as a coffee station. Rey bypassed the people that were blocking her from the thing that she desired the most before she was left with making one last decision.

~~

A short while later, Rey found herself sitting alone in the corner of the cafeteria where she was enjoying her breakfast in her own peaceful little bubble as she was so grown accustom to doing, but it wasn't until she was taking her next sip of coffee that she noticed a subtle change in the atmosphere, watching as everyone around her suddenly appeared to have gone all rigid as they kept their heads down, making her arch a brow out of curiosity until she felt a subtle tug at the bond that tied her to her bond-mate, making her almost squirm in her seat as flashes of last night's events flowed through her mind so suddenly, making her set her mug down as she averted her gaze elsewhere, whilst silently praying that Kylo wouldn't notice her presence at all.

Rey dared to peek in his direction, watching as he paid no attention to anyone as he went on to go about his business, making her inwardly heave a sigh as she went back to finishing her coffee before she was going to have herself under the supervision of her temporary guards. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that there was now a presence beside her until she heard someone clear their throat, making her look up at them, and when she caught sight of Kylo in his full attire and helmet, she refrained from cowering under his authoritative appearance and how much power was radiating off him and instead set her jaw in a stubborn stance as she peered up at him, waiting for him to break the silence first.

"Good morning, Rey." Kylo replied in a curt manner as he looked down upon her, feeling thankful that his helmet was veiling his face as his gaze traveled down from her head to her toes, taking in the clothing she had worn today. It made him feel rather pleased that she was wearing items that he had chosen specifically for her upon her arrival.

Her lips parted as she began to reply to him, but she stopped herself just in time before she called him by his name, because she knew she was supposed to address him with his proper title starting today, especially since there were so many witnesses around them. To say that Rey had to force herself to say what she did next was an understatement, but it needed to be done. Even it meant swallowing her own pride during the process. "Good morning, Master Ren." Rey retorted in what she hoped was a calm tone.

Kylo hadn't been expecting her to address him as she had, but that didn't stop him from feeling some type of way as those two words rolled off her tongue and were music to his ears. He had been longing for her to call him that for so long that it made him pause for a moment too long, causing him to suddenly clear his throat once again before he spoke in a neutral manner. "I only came to let you know that I won't be present for most of your first training session since something urgent has been brought to my attention. I hope that won't be a problem for you."

Rey had mixed feelings over what he had just said. She at first felt a little relieved that she wouldn't have him all but breathing down her neck during her training, but she also couldn't ignore the pang in her chest with knowing that he wouldn't be near her. She tried to clear her mind and keep herself centered as she went on to nod once. "Thank you for letting me know, and I assure you that I will be fine on my own."

Kylo attempted to get a read on her emotions as stealthily as possible, but he found that she was blocking him entirely from her, which shouldn't have surprised him since their last encounter with one another that hadn't ended as he was sure they both had wanted it to. "If you should need me for any reason at all, you know how to call upon me." He didn't bother to stay to see if she'd say anything as he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room as he inwardly chided himself for basically pleading for her to use their bond, because he felt her absence even more as he walked further away from her.

Rey was left feeling oddly confused when he left so abruptly, but she didn't have time to figure out why he was acting the way he was, because all too soon her guards were back at her side and informing her that it was time to leave. Rey rose up from her seat before she followed them to what was awaiting her at their next destination.

~~

Kylo's POV

To say that he was infuriated with himself was a complete understatement. His hands were curled into fists as he stalked down the corridor that would lead him to where Rey was currently located. He hadn't intended on being so rude to her this morning by keeping their conversation rather short, but in his defense it was only because he was upset over the fact that Hux had gone behind his back, and managed to convince Supreme Leader that it would be best that Kylo attended to other matters, whilst Hux so kindly volunteered to take full responsibility of Rey's training for the day, which only fed his hatred for the General even more.

So, instead of defying his superior, Kylo managed to find his center in order to have the right mindset to go through with the task he was given as quickly as he could manage in order to make it back in time to at least witness some of Rey's training to see what her strengths were and spot out her weaknesses for him to hopefully help her master to perfection.

Too soon he was removed from his thoughts when he finally reached his current destination, attempting to keep his presence unknown as he stepped into the room as his gaze immediately landed upon his apprentice. He came to an abrupt stop when he took in her current attire, noticing that she was missing one particular garment that she had been wearing the last time he had laid eyes on her, making his jaw almost hit the floor before he gained back his composure, gritting his teeth as a wave of anger suddenly flowed through him in response to her showing so much skin in front of the several individuals in the room, which also included Hux, who had his gaze upon Rey as well.

If he thought he had been frustrated earlier, well he was definitely wrong, and he knew this was the final straw. He wasn't going to be able to hold back the wrath he was surely to ensue at any moment.

~~

Rey's POV

Rey had been in the middle of a sparring match against her current opponent, feeling rather smug that she still had been able to dodge each of his attacks so far, but too soon after that unspoken thought passed through her mind, a wave of rage suddenly filled her entire being, which was enough to make her fumble with her movements, allowing her opponent to strike out at her with such force that sent her crashing down against the mat. She barely had enough time to choke back a cry as she tried to catch her breath, whilst she heard a chorus of applauds coming from those around her, but she'd be damned if she allowed them to view her as the weak girl they had been so kind to voice aloud many times during the course of this training session.

That thought alone was what allowed her to do what she did next, wanting to prove to everyone that she wasn't just some puny scavenger girl from Jakku. She used her current opponent's distraction to her advantage as she managed to kick his legs out from under him, watching as he fell to the ground with a loud thud before she ignored the protests of several sore spots on her body as she retrieved her favorite weapon of choice that had fallen from her grasp when she had been taken down, holding it tightly as she went on to straddle the guy, keeping him pinned to the ground as best as she could as he was in the process of recovering from her sudden attack before she proceeded to place the staff against his throat, adding just the right amount of pressure to make it uncomfortable for him, and soon enough he slammed his hand down on the mat to signal that he was giving up. Her breathing was ragged by this point as she stopped her attack before she forced herself to rise up to her feet as she inwardly prayed that her legs wouldn't give out on her in the process as she tossed the staff aside and proceeded to speak through clenched teeth as she peered down at her defeated opponent that was still lying on the ground trying to catch his breath. "Next time make sure that your opponent is properly taken care of before you get so smug, and allow yourself to become an open target instead." She spat before she was finally aware of the mirroring expressions of astonishment from nearly everyone in the room, but soon her attention was solely on the act of looking around the room in frantic manner, because it was now clear on who had caused her to become distracted at the wrong moment, along with knowing what usually followed with that wave of rage.

Hux was beyond shocked when Rey had somehow managed to take down one of his most skilled men, making him shake his head to clear his thoughts in order to speak to Rey in a calm and collected manner, and before he knew what he was doing, he had already rested his hand on her arm, waiting for her to bring her attention onto him. "You've done very well today, and have managed to surprise me with how skilled you appear to be, but there are still some things we need to work on during our next session before we can begin on the next part of your training, so don't let yourself get too smug."

Rey went completely still as soon she felt Hux's hand clasp over her exposed arm so brazenly, and didn't have time to be shocked by his semi approval of her overall work today, because her attention was now directed on the commotion coming from just behind him, and as soon as she saw a familiar figure stalking off towards them both, Rey only had a quick second to break out of Hux's hold before she put herself between him and the oncoming threat. She could practically feel Kylo's gaze burning into her through the confines of the visor from his helmet.

What was about to happen wasn't going to be pretty. It was that mere thought that made her release an exasperated sigh before she mumbled a string of profanities under her breath as she prepared herself to deal with the wrath that was sure to come from the infamous dark prince that had turned her life upside down from the very first moment they had set eyes on one another.


	8. chapter 8

"Step aside, Rey." Kylo retorted through clenched teeth with a venomous lilt to his tone as he took another step towards her until only a few mere inches were left between them both.

Rey shook her head in a defiant manner as she peered up at him with a determined expression upon her features. "There's no way in hell that I'm going to step aside, and allow you to do whatever you've barged in here to do."

"Are you seriously going to stand there and protect him!" Kylo shouted with such animosity as his attention then shifted onto the person that was all but cowering right behind Rey.

Rey nearly flinched in response to him shouting so loud, along with the wave of anger that rippled right through her that almost caused her to stagger back a step, but it was only after she was able to semi compose herself once again that she was able to really get a read on his emotions. And in that next moment it was so clear to her now as to why he was so upset. The reason was utterly ridiculous in her eyes of course, but at least she now knew how to go about putting an end to this little misunderstanding that only happened because of his stupid jealousy as well as some other issues that she couldn't quite figure out right now. She would regret what she was about to do sometime later, but it needed to be done. Her eyes slid shut as she concentrated on allowing herself to open up to him fully, ignoring when he gasped aloud as she gritted her teeth in order to hold back a whimper that threatened to spill from her lips when she felt him take full advantage of the situation as he took back his rightful place within her. She waited until she knew for a fact that she would be able to stay upright before she opened her eyes warily and did what came so naturally to her now. _If you really think that I was trying to protect that prick then you're even more of an idiot than I already thought you were, because I am actually trying to protect you._

Kylo was at a loss for words in response to her willingly opening herself up to him fully as she had only done once before, and what she had just said wasn't helping him when he was trying to process what was happening. But he did know one thing for certain, he was never more thankful for the fact that his helmet was helping to veil his face in this moment, because he didn't want anyone to be able to see how vulnerable he was right now. And here he thought that she had been protecting the one person that he despised the most in this room, and instead it turned out that she was actually trying to protect him. He didn't know what she was attempting to protect him from, but the mere thought of her caring so much about his wellbeing was enough to diminish a part of the rage that had been surging through him.

Rey was starting to feel foolish as time went by and Kylo still hadn't said anything at all, which made her blurt out something aloud instead of telling him through their bond. "Dammit! Will you please just say something already!"

Kylo was pulled out of his thoughts rather abruptly in response to her little outburst that it didn't give him any time to think of the right thing to say in this moment, except for whatever came to his mind at the very last second. "You were really trying to protect me?"

Hux let out a chuckle as he went on to look between the both of them before he spoke in an amused manner. "That's actually quite adorable. The apprentice is worried about her Master's wellbeing."

"Shut up!" Both Rey and Kylo exclaimed in unison as they both turned to glare at Hux.

That little outburst only amused Hux furthermore as a smirk played at his lips. "Ah, now it makes much more sense as to why the Master of the Knights of Ren was so interested with this particular scavenger. You both are so alike in more ways than one. Which leads me to believe that our session was only interrupted because of a simple lovers quarrel. It's quite hilarious. I wonder what everyone will say once news of this spreads." He noted with humor as he went on to laugh along with the Stormtroopers from behind him.

A feral-like growl emitted from the confines of Kylo's throat as he proceeded to remove his lightsaber from his weapons belt, igniting it immediately. "Care to come repeat what you just said to my face, General?"

Rey's eyes widened in alarm as she watched Kylo prepare himself to finally release the wrath that he had come to ensue as soon as he entered the room a while ago, causing Rey to jump into action by closing the distance between them both and placed both of her hands against Kylo's chest, giving him a slight push. "Kylo, stop! You know damn well what will happen if you go through with what you so kindly projected to me just now!" She hissed under her breath as she inwardly said a prayer to whoever was listening that he would heed her warning.

Kylo had been so close to standing down when he felt a sudden wave of panic flow through him from Rey before that was followed by visuals of what happened to him the very last time he did something that upset Supreme Leader Snoke, but none of that mattered when he heard what Hux was about to do, causing him to snap his head back up before he quickly pulled Rey behind him in order to keep her out of harms way.

Everything seemed to pass in a blur after Hux had ordered his men to apprehend the Master of the Knights of Ren by any means necessary, leaving Rey to watch Kylo dispose of each and every single Stormtrooper that dared to get in his way with such haste and ferocity that caused her to gasp aloud when his rage seemed to surge through her entire being out of nowhere that it was far too late for Rey to prepare herself for what was to happen next, because in one moment she had been so sure that she was more then centered in order to keep this whole misunderstanding under control, and in the next moment she was severely affected by Kylo's rage, causing a tinge of red to cloud her vision as something had awoken from the very depths of her entire being. It could only be described as a burning flame that ignited from within her that gave her the final push she needed to unknowingly tap into the darker side of herself that she had denied to acknowledge until it was too late.

She whirled around so suddenly when she heard Hux in the process of calling in for backup, making her extend her hand out towards him as a strong wave of power emitted from deep within her that was directed towards the General that sent him flying backward through the air with a look of utter horror upon his face before he hit the wall with a loud, falling to the floor with a cry. The sound of his pain brought a malefic smirk upon her lips as she stalked over towards him, watching in amusement as Hux was struggling to get up to his feet. "Do you need a hand, General?"

Kylo's head snapped up when he felt Rey's rage hit him so hard, causing him to stagger back a step after he had just finished disposing of the last Stormtrooper, but nothing would prepare him for what he was about to witness next as the very thing he had desired so desperately was beginning to come to life right in front of him, and though he should have been overjoyed that Rey was finally tapping into the darker side of herself, he couldn't help but worry that this shouldn't be how she should first practice the arts of the darker side of the force. And another part of himself that he had tried his hardest to deny its very entire existence was warning him of the possible consequences that were sure to come if Rey went through with killing Hux. That thought alone was enough to force him to recall back to how he felt when he first had taken a life, and it was then that he realized that he didn't know if he wanted Rey to go through that inner turmoil, which is why he was about to do the unthinkable. He deactivated his lightsaber, placing it back in its spot on his belt before he began to make his way across the room, with the hopes that he wouldn't be too late to stop her from making a very serious decision that would change her forever.

Hux struggled to keep his eyes open as his mouth was then filled with a bitter taste, causing him to turn his head to the side in order to spit out a mouthful of blood onto the ground before he reluctantly looked up in time to witness Rey towering over him. He had never been one to fear anything or anyone before he was introduced to both Supreme Leader and the infamous Master of the Knights of Ren, but as he was looking up at her, a sudden wave of fear filled his entire being as the realization of his impending death was so near that it caused him to do something that he thought he would never have to do after he was given such a high authority rank. He was about to beg for his life by any means necessary. That thought alone was enough to give him the strength to get up from the ground, willing himself to stay upright before he used the back of his hand to wipe away the blood that coated his mouth before he met her gaze. "It's not too late for you to stop. You don't have to be like him. You are far more greater than he could ever wish to be. That is why he was so desperate to get to you first before Supreme Leader could, because he knew as soon our superior saw just how powerful you were that he would be replaced immediately. Can't you see that he is feeding you any lie that he can think of in order to win you over, and make sure that you never reach your full potential? Because I hate to have to be the one to tell you this… But the truth is that you mean nothing to him. You're merely another pawn in his game that he needs to use in order to get him even closer to his ultimate goal."

"He is lying, Rey! Don't you dare believe anything that he says!" Kylo shouted before he placed his hand down onto her shoulder, turning her so she was facing him.

Rey felt her anger diminish just a fraction in response to Kylo's subtle touch as she thought over what Hux had just said to her, and she would be lying if each and every word hadn't affected her so much, because deep down, Rey had always had some doubts about Kylo's true intentions when it came to her, but she never had the guts to look more into it, because she didn't know what she would do if the answers she sought out for weren't what she was hoping to find. And right now in this moment she felt her blood begin to boil as she then realized that Hux was only trying to make her doubt both herself and the bond that she shared with Kylo in order to save his own skin, which only fed the flame that had already been ignited from within her, and before she knew what she was doing, her hand was stretched out in front of her as she willed the force that was currently coursing through her to aide her as she proceeded to constrict Hux's airway before she watched as he was then lifted up off of the ground, whilst his fingers clawed at his neck in a frantic manner with the hopes of being able to respire as he so desperately wanted to.

Kylo's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched Hux hover in the air as his skin was turning a different shade of color in response to him not being able to breathe that it took him a moment to jump into action as he went on to do the only thing that came to his mind in this moment. In a quick fluid motion he had managed to catch Rey by surprise, stretching his hand out towards her temple as he tapped into his powers, and forced himself to do the thing that he vowed he would never do again, which was to render her unconscious. He caught her in time when she suddenly fell limp, holding her tightly against him in his arms before he averted his gaze onto Hux. "You will report back to Supreme Leader only to let him know that you had a successful session today with, Rey. I will know if you tell him anything else, and next time I won't stop her from killing you. Do I make myself clear?" He waited until Hux rasped out a subtle reply before he turned on his heel and marched his way out of the room with such haste, because he didn't know how long Rey would stay unconscious for.

~~

Rey awoke with a start, her breathing was ragged as she bolted upright in bed, looking around wildly as she tried to determine where she was. A sudden movement from her peripheral vision had her backing up so quickly until her back hit the headboard as she watched a figure make its way towards her before she was suddenly blinded by a light that was turned on beside her. It was then that she saw Kylo standing a little ways from her, making her squash down the faint ache that had made its appearance deep within in her as soon as she laid her eyes upon him. "Don't come any closer."

"Don't be like that, Rey." Kylo murmured in a doleful tone as he slowly crossed the room until he was standing in front of the bed.

Rey looked away as she blinked back traitorous tears that suddenly filled her eyes when flashes of what occurred not too long ago flowed through her mind. She couldn't believe what she had almost done, and it was all because of him, and that way of thinking caused her to swallow harshly before she forced herself to speak in a hushed tone. "I don't want to see you right now. Just go away."

Kylo nearly staggered back a step when he felt a rush of sorrow pass through him before he caught a glimpse of what Rey had been thinking just a moment ago, which caused him to suppress the urge to gasp aloud when it became clear that she was really doubting if he truly cared for her. And before he knew it he was already seated next to her on the bed, extending his hand out towards her with the intention of resting his hand on her cheek, but at last moment he let his arm drop back at his side. "Rey…"

She was beyond frustrated with herself when the mere sound of her name spilling from his lips had caused new tears to form in her eyes, making her reach up to wipe her face in a hasty manner as she chose to ignore his presence furthermore even though he was now sitting right beside her. "Are you really that dense that you can't even get the hint that I don't want anything to do with you anymore?"

He felt himself go all still when he realized that she had begun to cry, and it was then in this moment that he desperately wished that he had grown up in a loving home, because then he would have known how to comfort someone, and instead he was left feeling so useless. But he'd be damned if he didn't do whatever he could right now to bring back the lively spirited woman that he had grown to care about. He cupped her chin in a gentle manner, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Dammit, Rey! Will you at least hear me out before you try and shut me out again?"

Rey jerked out of his hold, using the pain that came with that action to help keep the other emotions that were coursing through her that threatened to overcome her at bay. "Don't you dare raise your fucking voice at me! The only person that's allowed to be upset right now is me. Now, I am only going to say this one last time. Leave me alone!"

Kylo gritted his teeth as he was beginning to get as riled up as she was. "No. I will not leave you alone. Not until you actually talk to me, and we can figure out why you're so upset with me."

Rey threw her hands up in frustration as she fully turned around to face him as an exasperated noise emitted from her lips. "Fine. If you want to talk then let's fucking have a good talk." She held up a finger when he was about to cut her off before she was finished speaking her mind. "No. You don't get to talk just yet. It's only right that I get to say something first since this whole thing started because of you and your stupid jealousy getting the best of you once again! I am only going to ask one thing of you, and you better think over your answer well before you even speak. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand. Now ask away." He said in a curt manner as he felt himself becoming angry, because she was actually right that this whole ordeal was all of his fault. But he would be lying if he didn't acknowledge the fact that he felt slightly worried that she would ask him about one particular thing, because the answer to it may cause her to break away from him for good.

Rey had thought she was going to be able to say her next words in a steady tone, but as she was about to speak, she had to stop and take a deep breath before she spoke in an almost hushed manner. "Was Hux telling the truth earlier? Are you just toying with me for your own personal gain?"

Kylo inhaled sharply in response to her words and the emotions that came with it that hit him so harshly. But it was only the feeling of uncertainty that allowed him to figure out what she was really wanting to know, which caused him to growl out his next words. "Are you asking if my feelings towards you are actually genuine, just because Hux was leading you to believe the very opposite?"

"I am only asking for the truth. Do you really care for me or not?" She hated that her voice wavered ever so slightly near the end as she tried to blink back fresh tears as her throat began to constrict as she waited to hear his answer, and it was then that she realized how much she desperately needed for him to tell her if what she thought they were beginning to share with one another was actually real or if it had all been some sort of game to him. The answer to that question would determine what she would have to do next. Even if one of those outcomes would cause her so much pain. And when she witnessed him hesitate as a look that she couldn't decipher crossed over his features before he got ahold of himself, that had been the final straw for her, which caused her to let out a half-strangled laugh as she shook her head. "I can't believe that I was so stupid, and actually thought for a moment that we were brought together for a reason. And now it's perfectly clear that you were just playing with me the entire time." As soon as she had finished speaking her mind, she felt the need to get out of the room immediately, because she didn't want to break down in front of him, and give him the satisfaction of knowing that he managed to break her completely.

Kylo had gone completely rigid by this point from how taken aback he was when her emotions had betrayed her once again, allowing him to sense the doubt that she had about his feelings for her, and when he took too long to answer, he felt her starting to pull away both physically and mentally from him that it caused him to go into a full on panic mode, because he couldn't bear the thought of losing her. It was that horrid thought that caused him to spring into action, grasping her arm at the very last second when she had been in the process of walking out on him. He turned her around to face him before he let go of her arm and proceeded to take her face within his hands, forcing her to have no other option but to look at him. "Allow me to make something perfectly clear. You are the most important person in my life, and I care about you far too much than I probably should, and I'll be damned if anyone tries to make you doubt what we have together." He growled out before he leaned down to crush his lips onto hers, claiming her as his own.

Her vision was utterly obscured by tears as soon as he spoke the words that she needed to hear so desperately in this moment. He truly cared about her. She knew that he would never understand how much those words meant to her, but she sure as hell would make sure that he would know how much he meant to her as well. She returned his kiss with just as much passion as the familiar spark of their bond came to life as they were making their love for one another known, her arms wrapped themselves around his neck as she proceeded to climb onto his lap, feeling the need to be flush against him.

Kylo rested one of his hands against her waist as the other hand was busy grabbing a fistful of her hair in order to give it a gentle tug before he broke their kiss and began to pepper kisses down along her neck, wanting to cherish every inch of her hody in this moment.

Rey inhaled sharply as soon as she felt his lips brushing against her flushed skin, making her tilt her head to the side to give him better access until she almost squeaked when he suddenly laid her down onto the bed without his lips leaving her skin at all. She was all but mewling by this point when he went on to nip at certain areas of her neck before he found just the right spot that caused her to release a whimper of pleasure as she was becoming so lost in this moment that she didn't realize that his hands had found the front of her sports bra, and just as she was about to help him remove it, she heard the fabric being ripped apart. She gasped aloud before she went on to prepare herself to scold him for what he had just done, but she didn't have the chance to, because all too soon she was lost in his touch when she felt him cup her breast before his tongue darted out to trail across her nipple before he teasingly latched onto it, sucking hard enough to cause Rey to cry out in pleasure. But he was far from done with her as he went on to do the same exact thing to her other breast before he began to trail kisses down along the bare flesh of her stomach before he finally stopped when he reached the waistband of her leggings for a brief moment before he slowly began to pull the fabric down, but once his lips left her skin, she felt herself pout at the sudden lost as she looked up at him. And it was then that she realized that he was waiting for her to give him permission to continue on, which she eagerly accepted by giving him a subtle nod before she raised her hips up off of the bed a bit in order to help him during the process.

Once he had her full acceptance, he quickly went on to remove both her leggings and panties in one fluid motion before he moved into a kneeling position beside the bed to situate himself better for what he was about to do. He then gave her a gentle tug to get her in the position he needed her in, and it was then that he had to take a moment to admire her as he also couldn't help but recall all of those many times he had fantasized about tasting her, and now that the time was finally here, he had to remind himself to take his time, which is why he decided to tease her by spreading her legs open in a slow manner before he leaned in to place kisses along her inner thigh.

Rey felt so vunerable right now as she laid fully naked in front of him, and it didn't help that his face was so near the part of her that craved to be touched so badly right now, but as soon as she felt his fingers grasp her thighs to part them, she couldn't help but yelp in surprise and she was so thankful that he had been holding her in a semi tight grasp or else she might have kicked him on accident. That thought would have made her blush almost immediately, but soon that was the very last thing on her mind, because soon she had to fight back the urge to moan when his lips had made contact with the bare flesh of her inner thighs, which let her know just what he planned to do right now. That mere revelation almost made her shut her legs completely as she felt her face finally flush in embarassment, because this felt way too intimate for her liking. Which is why she never allowed herself to dabble with this kind of foreplay before with past flings, but this time it felt different to her and deep down she knew it was because she was with someone that she finally had feelings for. Though that wasn't enough to stop her from doubting that she was good enough for him.

Kylo stopped mid kiss when he sensed some discomfort coming from her, and before he realized what he was about to do out of habit, it was too late. He skimmed through her mind, and what he found out, caused him to look up at her in disbelief, but he would be lying if he didn't admit that a tiny part of himself was actually pleased with knowing that no one had performed this particular act on her before, and that just gave him more of a reason to make this more enjoyable for her. It wasn't until she projected that she was embarassed to be so bare in front of him, and how she thought that she wasn't as attractive as other women she assumed he liked more that he had to refrain from releasing a low growl. "You are beautiful, Rey. Don't you ever forget that. And if you give me permission to go through with what I want to do then I promise that I will make you feel good."

And against all odds, Rey found herself giving him an answer by nodding her head, because she didn't trust her voice in this moment when his promise had sent a shiver of anticipation down her spine, making her bite down on her lip as her breathing hitched up ever so slightly. She thought she was going to lose it when she felt him get back into position between her legs, but nothing would prepare her for when she felt the first brush of his tongue against her as he went on to savor every last bit of her.

Kylo nearly groaned at the mere sweet taste of her, feeling encouraged a moment later by the rather alluring responses he was able to get out of her as he went on to teasingly flick his tongue against her sensitive bud until he had to hold her in place when she was attempting to wriggle away from his relentless assault. He felt himself straining almost too painfully against the fabric of his trousers, and wanted nothing more than to bury himself so deeply within her, but the need to make her climax this way first had overpowered that thought for the moment.

Rey was beyond lost in this most pleasurable moment that she couldn't be bothered with being embarrassed when she felt him spread her legs furthermore, because she was left surprised at the next sensation that overcame her out of nowhere. She gripped the bedsheets with one hand as her other hand flung upwards to cover her mouth when she was about to elicit a loud moan when she felt him rub his tongue along her sensitive bud more vigorously before she felt the vibrations from his throat as he went on to teasingly suck at her bud and proceeded to go back to lapping at her until she couldn't handle it anymore. She whimpered as she removed her hand from her mouth and so brazenly intertwined her fingers in his darkened mane as she wriggled her hips until she helped him find where she wanted him.

Kylo groaned in response to feeling her fingers tug at his hair as he felt her juices overflow the pad of his tongue as they went on to coat his chin, and just then he felt her legs tremble as they begin to clamp around his head, he went on to ease two fingers within her heated core before he went back to teasingly stroking and sucking at her bud, loving the sounds of her moans as she's reaching the tipping point.

Rey is left gasping for air as another wave of pleasure overcomes her completely as her whole body trembles as she feels Kylo bringing her to her climax as she moans his name, trying to ride out her orgasm as she releases her hold on his hair as she falls limp against the bed as she attempts to steady her breathing.

Kylo rises up to hover from above her, leaning down to murmur things into her ear as he witnesses her finally coming back fully to him, and just as he leans back to peer down at her, he wished that he had heard another name spill from her lips just a moment ago, and that sudden thought caused him to go completely still.

Rey felt her smile waver as she noticed a subtle change in his mood, making her reach up to rest the palm of her hand against his cheek. "What's wrong?"

Kylo came out of his thoughts as soon as he heard her voice, and without any hesitation, he brought his lips down onto hers, savoring the moan she released when she tasted herself against his lips, but as much as he wanted to continue with this current action, he needed to get out his clothing right now. Which is why he reluctantly broke their kiss, and he couldn't fight back the amused grin that settled upon his lips when she pouted up at him.

Rey leaned up onto her elbows as she went on to watch him begin to take off all of the ridiculous amounts of clothing he had on until he was only left with his trousers on, but when he muttered a curse when he couldn't remove his belt, she stifled the urge to laugh and instead she sat up and moved to place her hand over his as she peered up at him with an amused expression. "Now it's your turn to allow me to help you out."

He leaned back in time to see her looking up at him, which allowed him to notice that her rather luscious lips were slightly swollen, which pleased him, but once she began to unbuckle his belt and easily undo the zipper and button of his trousers until the material slipped and hung loosely around his hips, did he actually feel himself grow even more anxious for what was to come, because it felt like ages to him that they had been intimate with one another.

Rey continued to hold his gaze as she pushed down his trousers before she hooked her fingers through the waistband of his boxers, biting down on her lip when she heard him inhale sharply when her fingers brushed along the bare flesh that rested beneath the waistband of boxers, but that only encouraged her to push his boxers down entirely, and that was when she felt her mouth run dry. It was then that she felt just as anxious for the coital act they were about to have, because it had been far too long now since the last time they had been with one another. And as the seconds ticked by, Rey grew more restless, but soon that wasn't going to be a worry for her because he was soon hovering over her once again.

His gaze never left hers as he gently pushed her legs apart as he can't help but notice that her legs are still trembling as she drapes them around him before he reaches down to take hold of his cock and proceeds to line himself up at her entrance before he slowly pushed himself inside of her. He groaned at the mere sensation as he sinks even deeper before he rocks slowly in and out, loving the flutter-like sensation that came with her walls beginning to clamp around him before she releases a moan. That wonderful sound made him want to pound into her with such ferocity until they both climaxed as one, but the only thing that kept him from doing just that was the thought of wanting to take his time with her, because this time they weren't under a time restraint and he wanted to focus on making this perfect for her.

Rey was all but a panting mess by this point as Kylo slides in and out of her in an almost painstakingly slow manner, but the only reason why she hadn't been complaining about him holding back was for the fact that she was able to enjoy the sensation of him filling her so completely with each gentle movement, but soon she was left wanting more. So, she decided to give him a subtle hint by lifting her hips a bit higher to encourage him even more, but nothing prepared her for his reaction to her hint, because soon she was left whimpering in pleasure as he slid back within her with more force and speed then she had been expecting him to do. The digits of one of her hands gripped his bicep as the other moved to tug at his hair to bring his lips down to hers, but not before she encourages his new rhythm with a whine as she projects what she wants through their bond.

Kylo stifles the urge to groan in response to Rey tugging at his hair as he receives her silent plea through the bond, which allowed him to finally pick up his pace as well as enjoy the way she managed to match her movements in time with him. But when she breaks their kiss in order to catch her breath as she releases soft pants here and there, he takes advantage of her newly exposed flesh, biting and sucking at her pulse as she arches up off the bed with a whimper. "Hold onto me tighter." He orders in a rough tone, waiting until she complies before he lifts her hips off the bed, using this new position to his advantage as he goes on to find just the right spot, and he knows when he finds it because he was then rewarded with the sweet sounds of her moans that filled the entire room as he then felt her legs tremble against him even more.

Rey was gripping onto him for dear life as he managed to slip himself even deeper within her as he kept pounding into her in a relentless manner that caused the entire bed to shake with how much force he was using, but that only drove her even more mad as she continued to elicit delicate moans. It wasn't until she peered through slightly parted lids a moment later that she noticed that she was getting far too close to the headboard for her liking, which made her reach out to place her hand against it as if that would be able to help protect her head as Kylo continued his relentless onslaught. A sudden movement of his caused her to cry out so loudly as she felt the familiar flutters of her climax nearing, but it wasn't until she felt the warm touch of fingers rubbing her sensitive bud out of nowhere, matching the pace that Kylo had already set that caused her to finally reach the state of ecstasy that she so desperately needed.

He didn't know if it was the sensation of Rey's walls clamping down around him or if it was the mere expression that displayed upon her face as she reached her climax that sent him over the edge, but soon he filled her to the very brim with his seed. He leaned down in time to bury his face against her neck to murmur her name under his breath as he gradually slowed his motions, and just as he was loosening his hold on her and about to slip himself out of her, he went still when she suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck so tightly and pulled him close to her.

"Please don't let me go." She retorted in a hushed manner as she nuzzled her face against the crook of his neck.

It was then that something inside of him broke upon hearing her plea, which caused him to hesitate for just a second before he was able to find his voice again. "I will never let you go. You are mine, Rey. Forever and always."

~~

Rey grumbled in her sleep in response to feeling something collide with her side, which made her wake up a little bit and turn onto her side, and just as she was feeling that she was slowly drifting back to sleep, she felt the same thing happen. "Stop hitting me!" She exclaimed in a grumpy manner as she scooted away from him, but soon her eyes shot open in alarm when she heard Kylo let out a cry of agony. She bolted upright in bed before she reached out to switch on the lamp that was on the bedside table, turning to face him immediately to see what was wrong. And it was then that she noticed that he was merely having a nightmare, making her frown as she was well aware of how those went since she always suffered from them every so often. She reached out to gently shake his shoulder as she spoke in a gentle tone. "Shh, it's okay. You're just having a bad dream. I'm right here with you."

When he didn't respond to her a moment later, she couldn't help but feel a tiny bit worried since he usually would wake up right away when he would become aware of her presence. This time she shook him with a bit more force. "Kylo, wake up."

Again no response. But as soon as she was going to attempt another strategy, Kylo cried out once again as he arched up off the bed slightly, causing Rey to yell his name as she all but threw herself onto him before she clasped her hands against his face. And as soon as her hands made contact with his skin, she sucked in a breath as a wave of the most insufferable pain flowed through Kylo and straight into her. She bit down on her lower lip hard enough to draw blood to muffle a scream that had been about to escape her lips as she tried to ride out the pain until she could finally focus enough to do the only thing she could think of in that moment. She forced her eyes shut as she concentrated on opening their bond enough for her to ease her way into his mind, but nothing would prepare her for what she found in the depths of his mind.

An array of his memories flashed through her mind in response to his walls being shut down in his current state, allowing her to get glimpses of his past self, and some of the terrible things he had done that he never had shown or discussed with her ever. But she had to try her best to push past those areas of his mind until she found the source of his current inner turmoil, which was the worst part for Rey as she had no choice but to feel the sorrow that was coursing through him and straight back into her. It wasn't until she really concentrated that she was able to sense a darker presence in his mind that made a shiver travel down her spine without her consent, and just as she was about to go through the motions of coaxing Kylo to wake up, she suddenly went still in response to feeling the sensation of darkened tendrils trying to envelop her in its grasp, causing her to automatically summon up her energy to block the presence from being able to attach itself to her.

Rey clenched her teeth when the malignant entity used more force to try and break through the barrier she put between them, which caused her to give another push of the force towards the entity with all her might before she heard a deafening roar that made her whimper in the next moment when she had to hold off the entity until finally she gave it one last push.

As soon as that dark presence left, Rey was pushed out of Kylo's mind altogether, making her blink a few times until her vision was clear enough to see that Kylo was now sitting up and looking at her with a look of trepidation upon his features.

"What have you just done, Rey?" He inquired in a rough tone.

Rey was beyond confused in this moment in response to his question, and how he was acting after she just saved him from whatever had been causing him so much pain. "I was only trying to help you."

Kylo closed his eyes for a moment as he willed himself to keep calm instead of freaking out like he really wanted to, but it was hard not to flip out when he felt both his anxiety and fear for Rey's wellbeing increase as he recalled what had just happened, which is why it was hard for him to say what he said next. "He knows just how strong you are now. And I don't know if I will be strong enough to protect you from him if he decides to come for you right now." He conveyed in an almost distraught manner.

It didn't take her long to figure out who Kylo was speaking of, but she didn't have time to dwell over what was out of her hands, because now her main focus was on Kylo, knowing that it must have pained him to admit his weakness out loud, which is why she went on to gently climb onto his lap before she held his face in her hands, willing him to meet her gaze. "No matter what happens, just know that I will always be by your side. And I know for a fact that we can take on anything or anyone as long as we are together."

She meant what she said wholeheartedly, but what she didn't voice aloud was that this current situation had provided her an opportunity. But for now her only concern was immersing herself in this moment with him as they both comforted one another, and forgot about their worries just for a little while.

~~

Kylo's POV

He couldn't fall back to sleep no matter how hard he tried, because as soon as he shut his eyes, he got flashbacks of the scene that Snoke had projected to him that shocked him to his very core. It had been so cruel of his Master to allow him to suffer through with watching the one person he cared so deeply about being killed so unmercifully in front of him in one of the most heinous ways possible. Kylo knew his Master too well now that he was sure that as soon as Snoke noticed that he was left all defenseless once again in his slumber that he would just slither his way back into his mind and notice that his apprentice was weak and not strong as he thought he was.

It didn't help that he couldn't quiet his mind to begin with, which is why his head was pounding in this moment because he was still being tormented by one other thing. His own guilt. And as he glanced down at the woman lying against him, he felt a deep ache form in his chest, because he had his chance to come completely clean to her earlier, but in the end he couldn't bring himself to tell her the whole truth. Things had changed over the many months that he had gotten to know, Rey. His whole way of thinking was even altered along the way, and he knew that there was a great chance that she would've wanted nothing to do with him if she knew everything that he had kept from her.

He knew deep down that it was selfish of him to keep her from knowing the real reason he had been so persistent with trying to reach out to her as soon as he realized that they had somehow formed a bond, but he couldn't risk her being taken from him. He already lost so many people that he once cared for, and he didn't think he could survive if he lost one more. So, it was then that he promised to himself that he would do everything that he could to make sure that Rey would never know what he had actually been ordered to do by Snoke. Even if that meant killing off everyone that had even the slightest knowledge about his task. And that killing list even included the one person that he never thought he would ever have the guts to raise a hand to, which was his Master.

Because it was finally time for him to truly be the person that Rey thought he had already started to become. Even if that meant that he had to let Kylo Ren die in order for Ben Solo to live once again. But as that thought flitted through his mind, he couldn't help but wonder if he had the strength to do it. Could he just toss away everything he has done in order to be in the current position he was in?

Only time would tell. He just hoped that Rey would stay with him even if there was a slight chance that he wouldn't be able to break himself from the darkness, and allow the light that he once embraced so long ago to fill him once again.


	9. chapter 9

Rey's POV

She could sense that something was wrong with him even before she had begun to make her way over to where he was currently waiting for her. Though it didn't surprise her at all to find that something was troubling him, since she even had to admit that she had been on edge ever since she had awoken the following morning too, but what she hadn't expected was to see that he was missing one essential part of his uniform, which made her quirk her brow in a quizzical manner and momentarily forget to find out if he was still upset about last nights events as she was. Rey didn't know how to go about bringing it up in the first place, so instead she kept her mouth shut and waited for him to say something first.

Kylo had tried his best not to laugh when he sensed her confusion as soon as she noticed that he wasn't wearing his helmet, so he went on to answer her unspoken question that she had projected towards him without knowing with a slight shrug. "I decided that I didn't need it today."

Rey felt her cheeks flush a tiny bit when she realized that she must've been projecting her thoughts a little too loudly this morning, and once she was sure that she wasn't blushing too much, she looked over at him with a coy grin upon her lips as she was about to voice her current thought aloud instead of risking him finding it out through the bond once again. "I think this new look suits you better."

It took him a moment to make sure that she was being sincere and wasn't teasing him like she enjoyed to do from time to time, and as if she had read his thoughts, she allowed him to feel just how she was feeling in this moment as she was admiring his current look of the day, which made the corner of his mouth lift up into a subtle smirk. "Perhaps, I will make this more than a one time thing."

Rey tapped her chin with her index finger as she pretended to ponder over his words. "Hmm… I don't know how I feel about that. Because based on my own personal experience, I know that I can only tolerate seeing your face for short periods of time." Her words came out with a slight teasing lilt to them as she tried her best to not snicker in response to his reaction, but soon she saw that he figured out that she was just messing with him. But she didn't have time to move away when he reached out to swat her behind, which made her yelp in surprise. She then proceeded to glare over in his direction in a semi playful manner as she watched him begin to retreat from her, because he thought that she was going to retaliate, but little did he know that she was going to just wait for the perfect moment to get him back. Which almost brought a smirk upon her face, but instead she tried to play it off by making it appear that she wasn't up to something as she went on to close the distance between them both and followed him to their current destination.

It wasn't until they came across some people that she felt his mood drop almost entirely before she was able to sense his shame. She was confused as to why he would be feeling this way, which is why she gently went on to prod into his mind, proceeding to take notice that he was thinking that she ought to be ashamed to be seen in public with him after the news of the incident that occurred the day before had already been spread all over the ship.

This caused Rey to become a bit angry that he would think that she would ever be embarrassed to be seen with him, which is why she made sure to not let him get a sense of what she was about to do. She reached out to take hold of his hand, making sure that their current company would see what she had done before she went on to narrow her eyes in their direction when she heard what they were thinking as they witnessed that subtle action. Those mere thoughts were enough to infuriate her furthermore, but today she didn't give into those rather reckless thoughts that came almost immediately to her mind and instead she chose to ignore those imbeciles all together, keeping hold of Kylo's hand as she allowed him to lead the way.

To say that Kylo was stunned by what had just happened was a complete understatement. He didn't know how to feel in this moment when Rey had not only shown him that she didn't care if she was seen with him in public, but she even went on to subtly acknowledge that there was something more happening between them both. He was so loss in his thoughts that it took him a moment to realize that they were now alone, and that Rey was in the process of letting go of his hand, which was enough to make him jump into action. He clasped her hand tightly as he peered over at her, whilst trying to figure out what to say, but of course he failed to come up with something smooth and instead blurted out the very first thing that came to mind with a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Did you just basically admit that we are a couple in front of those people?"

"W-What!? No, I absolutely did no such thing!" Rey stammered out as she tried to pull her hand out of his grasp once again, but it became useless. She looked up in time to see that he was fully smirking down at her, which almost made her roll her eyes out of annoyance because she knew that he would never allow her to forget what she had just done.

"I'm almost one hundred percent sure that you just took my hand to make it clear that I'm officially your boyfriend… Though it sure comes as such of a surprise to me since I don't recall asking you to be my girlfriend recently… As a matter of fact… I was under the impression that we were never going to date." He was having trouble with hiding his amusement when he saw Rey begin to blush furiously as she tried her best to try and get herself out of this current predicament, but he wasn't about to let her off that easy.

And that's what led to a very loud and rather explicit discussion about what Rey meant by taking his hand as they were headed off towards the training room together. But as soon as she was finished trying to convince herself that they weren't an item just yet, he went on to tease her once again. And needless to say that, that little argument proved to make their first training session together a little more interesting.

~~

The feeling of dread over the fact that Rey had to meet the one person that was responsible for corrupting the current man in her life (That absolutely wasn't her boyfriend! Or rather that was what she was still telling herself.) was almost forgotten in response to the rather vigorous training that she had been enduring for the past few weeks.

She had found it rather amusing in the beginning when Kylo had been taking it easy on her, along with other shenanigans that occurred on their first training session. That sudden thought made her recall back to that time as she was taking a small break, whilst Kylo had excused himself for a moment.

 _An exasperated noise emitted from Rey's lips as she looked over to where Kylo had retreated when he had forced himself to hold back from giving it his all while they had been sparring with one another. "You are aware that I'm not some porcelain doll right? I promise that I won't break. Now stop holding back. I'm not going to learn anything if you keep babying me."_

 _Kylo passed his fingers through his slightly dampened locks out of habit since he was feeling slightly uncomfortable with the thought of harming her in any way. But deep down he knew that she was right. If he kept holding back then she wouldn't be able to protect herself. And it was that thought that almost made him have a full on panic attack, because it made him envision what could happen if he brought her to Snoke without having her fully prepared in case he wouldn't be able to protect her for some reason in the near future. He suppressed the urge to sigh before he gave her a subtle nod. "You're absolutely right. Now let's try this one more t—" He didn't even get a chance to finish his last statement when he heard her let out a cry before she immediately lashed out at him._

 _Rey gritted her teeth to refrain from allowing herself to make a noise when each of their weapons collided with one another's with such force, but that didn't make her falter at all, because in the next moment she gave him a rough nudge that sent him staggering back just enough for her to take a few steps back. A kittenish grin curved her lips as she whirled the makeshift lightsaber that they had been using for the mere purpose of practicing before she beckoned him forward with a subtle motion of her digits of her free hand. "Don't hold back." She retorted in an almost eager manner in response to feeling the familiar thrum that was coursing through her entire body that always occurred whenever she was in battle._

 _Kylo had to refrain from allowing the corner of his mouth to lift into an amused smirk when he could tell that she was enjoying this a little too much, which made him want to make sure that he lived up to her expectations. He didn't give any slight indication of what he was about to do, and instead he moved in a blur as he lashed out at her without holding back. He grunted in response to her meeting his every strike with such ferocity, but what he hadn't expected to happen was when she suddenly broke contact with him and immediately whipped around, kicking out at his wrist, which cause him to drop his weapon. He barely had a chance to throw himself backward, but Rey was fast for such a little thing, which made him have to think of his next actions carefully. At the last moment he was able to evade her next attack by twisting his whole body to the side, which caused Rey to run straight past him and he proceeded to turn around to face her, whilst he slammed his foot down upon his fallen weapon, holding his hand out in time to catch it after it soared up into the air from his previous action. "You almost had me there. I'm slightly impressed."_

 _Rey gripped the hilt of her lightsaber as she narrowed her eyes in his direction, whilst attempting to catch her breath, and if she had to be completely honest, she was beyond annoyed that she had been so close to winning that little sparring match. And that mere thought is what caused her to elicit another battle cry as she sprinted off towards him, but what she didn't foresee was how quick he was able to act upon her attack, causing her to duck at the very last moment when Kylo slashed out at her, making the lightsaber whirl past her head. She heard him mutter something that was far too low for her to understand, but she didn't try to figure out what was said and instead she did the most stupid thing she could have possibly done, and that was to fling herself at Kylo, whilst momentarily forgetting the countless times that her Master had drilled into her head to make sure to keep a level head when keeping the weight of her grip evenly distributed upon her weapon, along with forgetting balance, precision, and everything he had taught her except the main focus of aiming to win. She knew she messed up when she saw Kylo smirk as he stepped out of the attack and proceeded to kick Rey's legs out from under her, causing her to go down so hard that her breath was knocked out her as well. But that wasn't enough to stop her from continuing on, she rolled away before Kylo could simulate a killing blow, taking hold of her weapon as she did so and got up onto her feet in one quick and fluid motion._

 _Kylo sucked in a breath when he witnessed what she had just done, feeling completely shocked at how well she was at keeping momentum when it came to defending herself, which is why he was thrown off his game when he clumsily blocked her next attack, and left himself completely vulnerable in the process and that subtle opening allowed Rey to push him back a step before she landed a hard kick to his torso. But she was all but relentless after that ferocious act, and before he knew it, he was somehow on his back on the ground with her straddling him as she demonstrated the blow that would have killed him if they had been using real weapons. His breathing was ragged by this point as he stared up at her with complete bewilderment upon his features, but it was then when he looked up at her that he was able to really get a good look at her. He admired the spark of excitement in her hazel optics, and the way her hair had somehow come undone during their sparring match, which allowed her chestnut locks to fall over her shoulders in delicate waves. She was so beautiful in this moment to him that he was at a loss for words._

 _It took Rey a moment to come down from her earlier high that had come with the mere act of their relentless sparring to even notice the way Kylo was looking at her, but when she finally did, she was thrown off to say the least. Her weapon slipped out of her hold as her breathing hitched up even more as she gazed into his eyes, and if she thought the look that he was still currently giving her was too much to bear, well she was dead wrong. Because in the next moment she was able to catch a glimpse of the way he saw her through his eyes without both of their acknowledgment, which caused her breathing to falter for just a second, and before she knew what she was doing, it was too late. She had leaned down in time with him as he rose up to greet her lips so eagerly, which caused her to elicit a noise of contentment just in time when his hands suddenly grasped her waist, securing her in place as their kiss deepened into something more. One moment they were subtly sharing a tender kiss, and in the next moment it changed to something more carnal-like._

Rey had a big smile plastered onto her face as she finished playing out that last scene in her mind, savoring her favorite moments of that time they spent with one another. It took her a moment to finally pull out of her thoughts, but a sudden movement coming from right in front of her, caused her to blink multiple times as she peered up at the looming figure that was now standing before her.

An amused grin was tugging at the corner of Kylo's mouth when he caught Rey daydreaming while he had stepped out of the room for a brief moment. He waited until she felt his presence before he held out his hand for her to take. "Care to enlighten me about what you were so shamelessly daydreaming of?"

Rey smiled coyly up at him as she grasped his hand tightly, allowing him to pull her up to her feet, whilst she attempted to not blush since she didn't want to tell him what she had allowed herself to remember in a not so appropriate time. Which is why she ended up just shrugging her shoulder in a nonchalant manner. "It was nothing interesting. I just got really bored since you were taking your sweet ass time coming back." She paused to tilt her head to the side as a curious expression immediately flashed along her features in response to her sudden curiosity getting the best of her. "Now do you care to share just what you set off to go get in the middle of our training session?"

Kylo found it even more amusing when she tried to get the attention off of her, and instead she put him on the spot now. Instead of continuing to mess with her and avoid her question as she had just done to him, he went on to wordlessly remove the hand that he had behind his back, and proceeded to hold a particular object out towards her.

Rey arched a brow in response to his fairly odd behavior as she couldn't help but follow his every move. But nothing could have prepared her for what she then witnessed him holding out to her, which caused her to blink in confusion as she contemplated over what her next move would be. It felt like ages had passed before she reached out a shaky hand, allowing her fingertips to graze along the hilt of the lightsaber, and just as she was about to grasp it fully, she paused and flicked her gaze back up to Kylo. "Is this some kind of test?"

Kylo could feel her bewilderment in this moment, but once the pads of her fingers brushed against the lightsaber, he sensed her uncertainty, which bothered him, because it felt as if she still wasn't sure that she had gained his trust fully. Which is why he went on to practically thrust the lightsaber into her hand in a hasty manner as he held her gaze and shook his head. "No. It's not a test. But it is time for us to practice with real weapons now. Just not here." A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes as he gave her a little tease, by projecting the precise location they would soon be visiting into her mind. And he was rewarded with a rush of excitement, which let him know that his reckless decision was actually a good thing.

~~

Kylo's POV

The only thing that could describe how he felt just a while ago was pure pride. He had the honor of watching Rey follow through with the various demonstrations he had shown her with the lightsaber, and as time went on, he couldn't help but notice that during some point, Rey had picked up on some of his fighting techniques. It shouldn't have come as a surprise since their minds were literally linked to one another.

It was just until today that he was able to see the full extent of how much she had learned over these past few weeks that made this current stress level decrease just a slight fraction. He knew now that if for some reason that he was no longer here to protect her, that she would be able to do so on her own. It was that mere thought that made his chest constrict, because he just reminded himself as to why he even chose to bring her to this current planet they were on. He had wanted to enjoy every last moment that he had left with her before he would set out to do something that could potentially lead to his own demise. And if he had to be fully honest with himself, he also wanted to cling onto the newest part of himself that had gradually come to light whenever he was in her presence. It was unsettling at first when he noticed that he was becoming too soft around her, but as time went on he knew that he wouldn't have it any other way.

That brief glimpse of happiness wasn't enough to overshadow that feeling of such dread that came with knowing that what he was about to do soon would not only ensure that Rey would be safe from the most dangerous threat to the galaxy and everyone who lived in it, but it would also shatter a part of himself in the process. And that act that he had been preparing himself to do was to rid everyone of Snoke's looming presence forever.

With a defeated sigh, Kylo shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts, and instead he focused on Rey, whom at the moment was exiting the stream that they had both been swimming in together not too long ago. He patted the extra towel that he had laid down beside his own when she was just within his reach, and was immediately rewarded with the most stunning smile that he had been so grateful to receive. "Did you enjoy the rest of your swim?"

Rey settled down on the towel next to Kylo, leaning into him as soon as their skin made contact with one another before she peered up at him through her lashes in order to answer his question. "Yes, I did."

"Good. I'm glad that you did." He murmured softly before he leaned down to place a kiss against her forehead.

Rey watched as he shut his eyes and went back to bathing in the sun whilst keeping her close to his side, but as she was in the process of marveling over her current view, she couldn't help but notice how the various scars upon his exposed flesh seemed to stand out so much more under the current lighting of the sun. Her smile faded as she gently moved into a sitting position, reaching a slightly trembling hand as she went on to lightly trace the scars with the pad of her fingers. It wasn't until now that she had actually had a real moment to examine the full extent of the marks that she had given him, but it wasn't until he turned his face to look at her that she got a better glance at the scar on his face. A sense of regret coursed through her entire body as she gently caressed his face as tears pricked her eyes.

Kylo placed his hand over hers, attempting to not frown as he couldn't help but sense her change of mood. "What's the matter?"

Rey would have pulled her hand away if it hadn't been for the fact that he seemed to be keeping a very firm grip on hers, but she did avert her gaze downwards because she feared that she would fully lose it if she looked at him. And if she had to be honest, it wasn't until now that she thought she had a chance to use this current predicament to her advantage. But in this case she didn't have to force herself to feel any remorse, because what she was currently feeling, allowed her to be so sincere in this moment. She sniffed softly as she shook her head, knowing that he would press the issue further like she hoped he would. "I never got to tell you, how sorry I truly am for what I did to you."

Kylo arched a brow in confusion as he tried to figure out just exactly what was happening, but within a passing moment, it finally dawned on him. He released her hand from his grip before he gently cupped her chin, tilting her face up to look at him. "Don't you dare beat yourself up over what happened that day. None of that was your fault. It was mine. I was the one who initiated the fight, so if someone is to take the blame then it should be me."

Rey knew that she had to tread lightly in response to how she was gradually leading up to what she wished she could have said to him the very first time that he even showed an ounce of humanity to her, but she couldn't beat herself over that anymore, because now it was finally her chance. "You don't hate me even a little bit for giving you those marks?"

Kylo shook his head as he offered her a subtle smile, wanting to lift her spirits again, whilst also attempting to conceal his emotions in this moment without her noticing. "Don't you know by now that, I could never bring myself to hate you?" What he said was true, but deep down he hated to admit that the only scar that he felt insecure about was the one that marred his face. The others were nothing to him, because he had received so many new marks within the time he had become Snoke's apprentice that they didn't seem to bother him anymore.

Rey reached up to remove his hand from her chin, and intertwined their fingers before settling their hands against her lap as she continued to hold his gaze. She tried to gently brush against the very edge of their bond in order to get a better sense of his emotions, and it was then that she barely got a tiny glimpse of what he was thinking, but she didn't allow what she found to interfere with what she was about to say before she chickened out. "I am pretty sure that if I told you the real reason that I came to you, that you would change your answer."

Kylo's brow furrowed ever so slightly upon hearing her words as he inclined his head to the side just a fraction, whilst holding her steady gaze. "Try me."

Rey drew in a deep breath before she spoke the words that could either break through to Kylo and make him come back to the light or it could do the exact opposite and push him to destroy the very last part of his humanity that was left, causing him to succumb to the darkness fully. "You were right when you mentioned that the argument between your Uncle and I, was just some sort of ruse to get you to believe that I was willingly joining the First Order. I orchestrated the argument and opened the bond more between us in order to get you to trust me and also to study you along the way. That's how I knew when the time was right for me to catch you off guard. It worked as I had hoped, but there was one thing that I didn't expect to happen. And that was getting too close to you."

Kylo felt as if he had just been slapped on the face in response to her words. He didn't want to believe what she had just stated, but what had made it worse was that his Master had all but predicted this happening. That mere thought alone made a spark of anger awaken within him, and without giving any sort of indication of what he was about to do, he bolted up to his feet, grabbing his belongings as he did so before he stalked off without saying a word to her.

Rey sucked in a breath when she witnessed him leave so abruptly, shocking her so badly that it took her a moment to jump into action, but once she found the strength to do so, she scrambled after him as she attempted to place her clothes back on. Her heart ached with the telltale signs of the familiar feelings of abandonment when she could barely see his tall figure in the distance. She wanted so desperately to make him stop and give her a chance to finish explaining herself, and that's how she soon found herself about to follow in Han's footsteps and hopefully break through to his son. "Ben!"

Kylo froze mid-step, peering over his shoulder just slightly in order to see Rey in the distance as he curled his hands into fists at his sides before he spoke through gritted teeth. "That is not my name anymore. And I suggest that you don't take another step before I say something that I won't be able to take back." His voice wavered just slightly near the end, causing him to tear his gaze away from her before he continued to make his way towards his ship, knowing what he needed to do next. Even if that meant hurting himself in the process.

Rey felt her throat constrict as tears pooled in her eyes before she shook her head as if that would help clear her mind before she tightened her hands into fists and forced herself to stand her ground, because she'd be damned if she let him go without putting up a fight. "Fine! If you want to be stubborn then by all means do so. I won't stop you from running away like a coward when times get tough, but what I can't do is let you go without knowing how much I wish I could take back what happened that day on Starkiller Base. I regret my actions every single day, and always wonder what would have happened if I had chosen to go about things another way. But the one thing that I regret the most is not being able to get through to you before Snoke gave you that last order."

Now was not the time that Kylo wanted to open even more wounds, causing him to walk with much more haste, because he just didn't think that he would be able to handle it if she said something else that he didn't want to hear right now that he was already hurting from her greatest betrayal, which was playing him into thinking that she willing came to be with him and join him with his future endeavors.

Rey didn't bother to take another step, but she did raise her voice enough for him to hear everything else that she so desperately had to get off of her chest. "I'm not sorry for what I did to Kylo Ren that day on Starkiller Base, but I am sorry to Ben Solo! I allowed my emotions to get the best of me when I listened to others speak their tales of what the infamous Kylo Ren had done, but the tipping point was when I witnessed him kill Han Solo and attack my friend Finn. I gave into the darkness and lashed out at him, and by doing so I missed the subtle signs of Ben Solo that still existed within the masked villain that once intimidated me. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's not too late for you to come back, Ben. That is the true reason why I have crossed the galaxy, and all but thrown myself to the wolves. Is that too hard to believe?" She felt as if she were out of breath by this point after she had all but blabbed everything out in a rush, but it wasn't until she stopped to really focus, did she feel his real reaction. She couldn't quite decipher all of his emotions that were currently coursing through him, but the most prominent emotion was pure disbelief. And as time went on and he still hadn't said anything, she felt a slight ache within her chest as freshly new tears pricked her eyes as her nails dug into the palms of her hands. "Please say something, Ben."

The moment he had secretly yearned for had finally come. And that was hearing that someone still believed in him. He couldn't process how he was feeling in this moment when she had left herself so vulnerable right now, but when she had called him by his birth name, it was as if something had awoken from the very depths of his entire being, and it had taken him a moment to even notice that she had spoken to him again. He turned around to face her, but he wasn't ready to see how she was going to be looking at him when he did, causing him to swallow harshly as a wave of unfamiliar emotions suddenly overcame him, and it didn't help that she was looking at him with so much hope showing in her eyes, because he couldn't help but take in mind that this wasn't some sort of fairytale where the villain could magically be forgiven for everything that they have done, and suddenly become the good guy. Which is why he tried his best to hide his internal turmoil and instead focused on trying to express what he knew to be true out loud. "But it is too late for me, Rey. The recent things I've done are enough to prove that. The Ben that you speak of is long gone. Snoke made sure of it."

Rey felt so desperate in this moment that she didn't bother to filter herself, because she wanted to get through to him before it was really too late. "That's where you're wrong. I was there with you after what happened on Starkiller Base. I am the only one besides yourself that knows how much you struggled to cope with the loss of your father. And how you still can't get a proper nights rest, because you are tormented by that day and for all of the things that Snoke made you do throughout all of these years. You have hid behind a mask for so long, and have been trying to be someone that you were never meant to be if it hadn't been for Snoke. I witnessed through your dreams about how he manipulated you from the very beginning of your life, and how he made you believe that everyone you have ever cared about stopped loving you. That is not true at all. They were the reason that I have tried my best to help guide you back to the light at first, but as time went on and I got to know the person behind the mask, I made it my mission to bring a family back together and help bring balance to the galaxy that it so desperately needs. I don't know what it's like to have a family, but after being around yours, I have gotten a glimpse of what a family ought to be and I'll be damned if I allow Snoke to keep you all split apart. So, don't you dare give up hope, because deep down I know that Ben Solo is still alive and it is him that I have fallen in love with. Not the monster that I had once felt so much hatred for." It wasn't until she finished speaking that she noticed that she somehow had closed the distance between them, her breathing so ragged by this point as she peered up at him.

He had been so ready to deny her claims even though he knew that she was telling the truth. She had been there in the very edge of his mind because of the bond and had seen him at his lowest, but what he hadn't expected to hear was her declaring her love to the person he once was. Not Kylo Ren who had been trying to portray for so long, but to Ben Solo. He felt at a loss of words in this moment, which led to him blurting out the very first thing that came to his mind. "What did you just say?" He inquired in a breathless manner.

Rey smiled through her tears as she reached out towards him with a trembling hand and gently grasped his hand. "I said that I am in love with you, Ben. And have been for so long. I just didn't know it until this very moment. Now will you kiss me already, you big idiot!"

Rey hadn't been expecting him to move so quickly, which is exactly why he caught her by surprise as he pulled her flush against him and crashed his lips down upon hers in a fervid manner as she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck so tightly as if that would be enough to keep him here with her forever where he belonged. This kiss was nothing like their past ones. This one didn't hide the passion that both Rey and Ben had been suppressing for so long. It was as if the emptiness that Rey had always felt was beginning to become whole again, and that revelation caused her to not notice what was happening during this act of love until she felt something trickle down against her cheeks, making her break the kiss out of nowhere before she blinked in confusion and looked up at Ben, and that is when she noticed the reason for her cheeks being wet. He was crying. She was so shocked that it took her a while to process the look they had shared with one another before he had suddenly fallen to his knees with his head bowed, but what brought her out of her reverie was when she felt his arms wrap around her waist as he then buried his face against her belly.

"I don't even know how to even start to be the man that you love. Or how to make up for all of the things that I have done." He retorted with such sorrow laced in his tone as he choked back a sob as he thought of the ones that he had inflicted so much pain upon, but the one person that nearly broke his heart to think about was his mother. The mere thought of having to face her after he had killed the only other person that she cared so much about besides himself and Luke, was his father, Han.

"Oh, Ben." Rey voiced in a distraught tone as she gently ran her fingers through his hair, letting him release all of the emotions that had been built up within him for so long, whilst silently letting him know that she was here for him and nothing could ever keep them apart anymore. But what she didn't voice aloud was the silent vow she made to herself, which was to make Snoke pay for all of the horrendous things he had done to Ben. It was now inevitable that he would die by her hand, but the only question left unanswered was when that would happen.

~~

Rey's POV

Some time had passed now, and within that time, Rey had comforted Ben until he had fallen asleep on her lap. She couldn't bring herself to wake him, even though she knew that they needed to return to the Finalizer before their absence was finally noticed, but this had been the very first time that she had witnessed him sleeping so peacefully, which is why her current discomfort from being in a rather awkward position was the least of her worry.

So to keep herself from focusing on that, she was still trying to process that fact that she had actually broken through to Ben, and it was almost time to bring him home. But there was just one last thing that needed to be done. And as if on cue, Rey heard a noise in the distance that made her straighten up as she tried to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from.

A sense of uneasiness suddenly overcame her within the next passing moment, which made her do just what she had been so opposed to doing and that was to wake Ben. She shook his shoulder with what she presumed was enough force as she scanned the area around them for any signs of a threat. "Ben, wake up. I think someone is h–"

She never got to finish what she was about to say when all of the sudden she felt something embed itself into her neck, causing her to cry out before she felt a sense of drowsiness overcoming her so quickly. She tried to keep her eyes open and attempt to focus on her surroundings, but soon she felt herself drifting off to sleep, and the very last thing she witnessed was Ben bolting up to his feet as the sounds of voices were suddenly coming from all around her.

 ** _A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I apologize for the wait. Between school and the rather annoying writer's block phases, I had a lot of trouble with figuring out how to go about this chapter. I did have help though when it came to the ending portion. If you guys want to cry (like I totally did lol) I suggest you listen to the song Barking Dog by Phantogram. It reminded me so much of Kylo. And some other songs reminded me of Reylo from their latest album. Just thought I'd share. I'm hoping to start the new chapter this weekend. I have one question though. Would you all like any future Reylo smut scenes? Or do the majority of you not like reading those scenes? I skipped writing a scene for this chapter because I wasn't sure. Please let me know in the comments._**


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